Friends, coworkers, and neighbors remember Vandersande’s playfulness, big heart as investigators continue search for suspect
By Steve Mitchell, Ashland.news
UPDATE: Tuesday, Sept. 9
Dan Moulin, deputy chief of the Ashland Police Department, said on Tuesday, Sept. 9, that nothing has changed in the investigation since Sunday, Sept. 7, when he said that investigators are still urging residents to come forward with any information that could lead to identification and arrest of a suspect. This includes people in the Railroad District reviewing footage from surveillance cameras for images that could help identify the subject.
So far, images shared from nearby businesses have yielded footage of a individual dressed in dark clothing with no identifying characteristics, fleeing the scene on A Street, heading toward Pioneer Street immediately after the shooting.
Original story:
About 30 friends, neighbors and coworkers gathered Monday at the corner of A and North Second streets in Ashland’s Railroad District, the site where Matthew Mark Vandersande was shot dead while in his vehicle early Sunday.
People shared anecdotes in front of a makeshift memorial comprised of candles, flowers, and a photo of Vandersande, along with written messages to the man many described as playful, kind and inspiring.
Vandersande, who worked at the Grange Co-op nearby on A Street, was remembered by coworkers for his upbeat spirit. One Grange coworker, who, at the direction of his manager, would not identify himself to Ashland.news, described Vandersande as someone who always wanted to “have fun,” recalling his “childlike playfulness” that put smiles on people’s faces.
“He was playful,” the coworker said, “and always wanted to have fun.”
Others, like Summer Mallory, knew Vandersande from earlier chapters of his life.
Touching on Vandersande’s lasting influence on her life, Mallory said Vandersande inspired her to make jewelry for a living when she worked with him at Flowers of Life Crystals, a gems and minerals warehouse in Ashland.
Mallory said she had bumped into Vandersande about a week before his death. According to Mallory, Vandersande had just been on a hike with his mother and was excited about the new van he planned to purchase for his next road trip. She had been working on a list of destinations she thought he should visit. She planned to send him the list before learning of his death.
“He was like a part of the family,” she said.
Ariel Swatez, who knew Vandersande for four years, said it’s common to say someone had a big heart after they die, but in Vandersande’s case, it was true.
“He was just so gifted,” she said. “I need people to know that this guy had one of the biggest hearts.”
Justin Karren, another friend of Vandersande, shared a funny memory when Vandersande bestowed him the nickname “Speedy.” Karren, who uses a wheelchair, said he was running late one day as he barrelled down the sidewalk in his chair when Vandersande pulled up next to him and jokingly yelled to him, “slow down, Speedy.” The moniker has stuck, according to Karren.
“That was the funniest moment of my life, getting called ‘Speedy’ by a friend of mine,” Karren said. “I’ll always remember that nickname. That’s a nickname that everybody will remember me by, because of him.”
The conversation among the group touched on the broader issue of community, houselessness, and belonging. Some worried that Vandersande, who had been living in his van at the time of his murder, could have his living status used against him.
“Over the course of my life, I’ve lived in my jeep when I wasn’t fully employed and waiting for a job that I had been recruited for,” a participant said.
She said it’s “ridiculous” to use the word “homeless” as a pejorative term to characterize someone’s living situation.
Homicide investigation
As of Monday, Sept. 8, no one had been apprehended in connection with Vandersande’s killing.
Jackson County District Attorney Patrick Green and Rick Spence, detective sergeant with the Ashland Police Department, did not return requests for comment on the status of the investigation.
Dan Moulin, deputy chief of the Ashland Police Department, said on Sunday, Sept. 7, that law enforcement officials urged residents in the Railroad District to check their surveillance cameras for footage that might help investigators identify the subject.
In a Sunday, Sept. 7, Facebook post, the Ashland Police Department noted that they do not believe Vandesande’s murder was random. It appears the shooting was targeted and that there is currently no indication of a specific public threat.
Those with information that could lead to the identification of a suspect can call Spence at 541-552-2172 or the police department tip line at 541-552-2333.
Email Ashland.news associate editor Steve Mitchell at [email protected].
Sept. 9: Updated to remove inference a particular suspect had been identified.
Related article: Ashland man shot dead early Sunday on A Street; suspect still at large (Sept. 7, 2025)
