Man arrested in Vancouver accused in Cowlitz County homicide

A 34-year-old Cowlitz County man was arrested in Vancouver on Thursday in connection with a homicide case in Kelso, according to the Kelso Police Department.

Jeremiah D. Matthews had been identified as a suspect in the death of a man whose body was found near the Cowlitz River in Kelso on Oct. 6, according to coverage in the Daily News in Longview. He was described as armed and dangerous.

Matthews was taken into custody about 4 p.m. Thursday in Vancouver by the Southwest Washington Regional SWAT Team and booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to a Kelso police statement.

The location of the arrest was not disclosed, but the Vancouver Police Department had issued a shelter in place order in areas near Mill Plain Boulevard and Southeast Parkcrest Avenue from 2 p.m. until 4:46 p.m. during a search for a wanted subject.

Multiple agencies were involved in the investigation, according to the statement, including the Washington State Department of Corrections, the Washington State Crime Scene Team, the Washington State Criminal Investigative Team and the Longview Police Department.

The identity of the victim’s name was not released pending notification of next of kin, the statement said.