Bodies Found In Florida Roadside Ditch Were Former Lehigh Valley Residents

Three former Brick residents who were among four killed in a gruesome Florida quadruple murder were found piled on top of each other Thursday in a roadside ditch, authorities said Saturday.

Florida authorities have named Adam Matos, 28, of Florida as the suspect in the slaying of the four victims after he attempted to flee with his biological son.

Pasco County, Fla. sheriff’s deputies checking on the family had noticed a bad odor in the area Thursday and found the bodies of two men and two women: Megan Brown, 27; her parents, Margaret and Greg Brown, both 52; and another man, Nicholas Leonard.

The Brown family lived in Brick before moving to Pennsylvania approximately 14 years ago, according to former neighbors of the Browns on Jefferson Court in Herbertsville, as reported by the Asbury Park Press.

Matos, meanwhile, apparently knew the Browns in a relationship that went sour, going back to their days together in the Lehigh Valley. What may have driven him to allegedly kill the four people is a mystery that investigators are trying to unravel.

After leaving Brick, the Browns were living in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, as was Matos. Matos was apprehended Friday at a hotel in downtown Tampa in a SWAT operation that rescued a 4-year-old boy with him, according to The Morning Call.

Matos intended to flee to Key West, Fla., with the child, Ismael “Tristan” Santisteban. Matos said the child, who appeared to be in good physical condition, is his son. An AMBER Alert had been issued for the 4-year-old boy after he was last seen on Aug. 28 when deputies investigated an earlier incident at the home.

The investigation began when Santisteban was reported missing Thursday after Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check at his home and discovered four homicide victims outside, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Melanie Snow said.

Anyone who had seen the child with Matos is asked to call 727-847-5878 or 911.

Margaret Brown, meanwhile, was once the operator of the Hidden Hill Farm dog kennel in Heidelberg Township until a few months ago, when the family - along with Matos - moved to Hudson, Fla., about 45 miles north of Tampa. Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture revoked the license of Hidden Hill Farm, whose license was held by Margaret Brown, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Recently, Matos’s relationship with the Browns became troubled; he had been arrested on harassment charges stemming from an incident on Aug. 28. In that case, Megan Brown called police and said Matos had threatened her with a knife and then fled. She told investigators she was scared of Matos, but authorities could not find him, according to The Asbury Park Press.

Brown also may have run into some trouble of her own. She told Pennsylvania officials this summer that she was moving to Florida, according to The Morning Call, after she was told that animal cruelty was being reported at her Pennsylvania kennel. Brown also had been operating a kennel there and held a license since 2006, unaware that she needed zoning approval, according to The Morning Call.

Photo: Adam Matos, 28, whom police say is the suspect in the slayings