News

This morning, the Arcata Police Department arrested a murder suspect in the 13000 block of Bald Hills Road in Orick.

With the Humboldt and Mendocino county sheriff's department SWAT teams, detectives served an arrest warrant at 6 a.m., according to a press release, and took Gregory Nelson Mattox, 24, of McKinelyville, into custody.

Mattox was wanted on suspicion of the murder of 36-year-old Joshua Gephart on Boyd Road. On July 2, officers responded to a  report of a man down in the 500 block of Boyd Road and arrived to find Gephart dead of an apparent gunshot wound.

Mattox was taken into custody without incident, according to the press release, and booked on suspicion of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, providing a false name to police and violating the terms of his probation.

See the full press release from APD below for more information.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MURDER SUSPECT ARRESTED

On August 29, 2023, at 6:00am, Arcata Police Detectives, with the assistance of the Humboldt and Mendocino County Sheriff's Department SWAT teams, served an arrest and search warrant for Arcata homicide suspect Gregory Nelson Mattox, in the 13000 block of Bald Hills Road Orick, CA.

Mattox was wanted for the July 2, 2023, killing of 36-year-old Joshua Gephart, in the 5000 block of Boyd Road in Arcata. Mattox was taken into custody without incident and was booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following violations of the California Penal Code:

187(a)-Murder

29800(a)(1)-Felon in Possession of a Firearm

1203.2-Violation of Probation

148.9-Providing False Identity to a Peace Officer.

The Arcata Police Department would like to thank the Humboldt County Sheriff's Department SWAT, Major Crimes Division, and Crisis Negotiation Team, as well as the Mendocino County Sherrif's Departments SWAT, Arcata Mad River Ambulance, and Cal-Fire for their assistance.

Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact the APD Investigations Unit at 707-822-2424, or the anonymous tip line at 707-825-2588.