Justice for Matt: Help with Family's Travel Costs

Tragedy takes its toll on families in many ways. We are asking for help relieving one family's burden - the result of their terrible loss.

Last June, our dear friends Tom and Joyce Caggiano received the kind of news no parents should ever receive. Their youngest son Mathew was missing.

They immediately left their home in Boise, Idaho for Laramie, Wyoming, where Matt had been working. They talked to detectives, co-workers, and friends of Matt’s, hoping against hope to find him alive and well.

Then a knock on their door brought the news they had feared most: Matt’s body had been found. He had been brutally murdered. And suspects were in custody.

Such a horrific tragedy can devastate a family. It is hard to imagine the profound pain the Caggiano family is suffering. Their beloved Matt was not only gone but was taken from them in a vicious act of senseless violence.

They found that coming to terms with their grief would be just the beginning of their journey. They learned that the aftermath of murder includes not just dealing with their grief. It includes endless interviews with detectives. Police officers. Lawyers. And paperwork. And most of that had to be done in person.

Matt’s parents had to travel 685 miles from their home in Boise to Laramie to do those painful interviews. They made the long trek twice, and now they have to do it again, as trial dates have been set for the suspects, and their presence will be required in Laramie for the trails in early 2023. They need help funding their sad journey.

The Caggianos are not just a close-knit, loving family. They are people who willingly and selflessly offer their help to others who need a hand. Their family and community can always count on their help, so we’re asking the community to return the favor by relieving them of some of the financial burden of their travel to Laramie.

Their needs are basic: airfare, simple lodgings, and a rental car. If we all pitch in a bit, we can not only make this trip less of a financial drain but will also show them that we care. Our support can help them begin to heal.

Asking for help does not come easily to Tom and Joyce, as they are accustomed to helping others. But those of us who know and love them want to do whatever we can to support them at this difficult time. They are grateful for our support.