Raleigh police search for missing 17-year-old Matthew Deal

Raleigh police were searching for 17-year-old Matthew Deal after he was reported missing, and investigators asked anyone with information to call the Raleigh Police Department at 919-996-3335. The case put a local teenager at the center of an active search in Wake County, with police asking the public to help find him.

Deal's disappearance came as North Carolina continued to handle a steady stream of missing-person cases through the N.C. Center for Missing Persons. The state center serves as the clearinghouse for missing children and adults and coordinates alerts with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Its public data show that it receives more than 10,000 missing-person reports each year, a volume that reflects how often these cases require fast tip-sharing and coordination across jurisdictions.

Raleigh police also maintain a written missing-person response directive for adults and juveniles. The directive, effective June 27, 2024, was prepared by Estella D. Patterson and approved by M. Adams-David, and it outlines how the department responds when a person cannot be located. In Deal's case, investigators relied on the same basic public step that has helped in many previous searches: asking neighbors, classmates, drivers and anyone who may have seen him to contact police right away at 919-996-3335.