An arrest has been made in a 6-year old murder case in Washington County that gained attention last year when the victim’s family aired frustration that no arrests had been made.
Justin Matthews was taken into custody by police Thursday night for the October 2017 killing of Whitneyville resident Wayne Foss. Matthews has been charged with murder, felony murder, robbery and arson, a spokesperson for Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office said. Additional information was unavailable.
Foss, 48, was found dead Oct. 28, 2017, inside his mobile home after firefighters were called in the early morning to extinguish a fire at 54 Middle Street.
Foss, a commercial fisherman, lived at the address with his wife and son but they were not staying at the home the night it burned, police said. At the time police said that the case was being investigated as a homicide but declined to release any additional details.
Last spring, Foss’ family went public with their frustrations. They and a Whitneyville town official who knew the victim said Foss had been actively involved in drug dealing in the area and that they believed his killing was drug-related.
Foss’ death occurred eight months after police conducted simultaneous drug busts at his house and at another in Trescott. Two men from out of state were arrested on drug trafficking charges as a result of the raids, police said at the time.
The death of the fisherman is among a half-dozen or so killings and shootings linked to drugs in Washington County over the past seven years.
