LOUISVILLE, Ohio — Jackie Godbey was holding her son's earring at the Stark County Coroner's office when she received the call.
Daniel Mattay, the 33-year-old man accused of killing her son Ryan Godbey, had died by suicide in the Stark County Jail on Wednesday, just a week before his scheduled plea hearing.
"I'm thankful that before he did it he gave us locations because I was actually at the Stark County Coroner's Office picking up something that they had relocated of Ryan's from what he had told them — The call came in." Godbey said. "That's when they told me and it took some reflection because I was holding my son's earring in my hand."
Before his death, prosecutors say Mattay told police where Ryan's remains were located, providing the missing information lingering in this case for months.
But it's still hard to process it all for Jackie Godbey.
"He's robbed me of a lot of closure," she explained. "The burial of my son, the life of my son, the day in court and I have to continue to remind myself there's a greater court above us all."
Mattay died by suicide while in jail just after 9:20 a.m., according to the Stark County Sheriff's Office. Jail staff provided immediate medical care before he was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
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Ryan Godbey, also known as JJ, was 26 when Godbey was reported missing in June after disappearing for several days. Godbey's debit card and driver's license were later found along I-77 near the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Some of Ryan's remains were found on July 23 in a remote wooded area in southern Stark County, but weren't positively identified until the results of a DNA test conducted by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation came back in October.
Mattay was arrested and charged over the summer for allegedly killing Godbey, his former partner. He was facing charges of murder, felonious assault, strangulation and domestic violence.
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On Aug. 27, a Stark County Grand jury indicted Mattay, who was being held in the Stark County Jail in lieu of a $1.5 million bond. Mattay had a plea hearing scheduled for Dec. 10.
Despite the tragedy and the loss of her day in court, Jackie Godbey continues to find strength in her son's memory. She wears yellow almost every day and a necklace in his honor. She also added a fading tattoo last month that reads "Keep going" – the same tattoo Ryan had.
"When [Ryan] would get upset or depressed, he would remind himself to keep going, that's what I want to do," she said. "You have to turn the bad into good or that will take you."
The family has set up a memorial fund in Ryan's honor at the Stark Community Foundation so Ryan's legacy can live on in causes he supported.
They're also planning a butterfly release in Ryan's honor for next summer.
Both the Stark County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle L. Stone and Canton Mayor William Sherer released statements on Facebook regarding Mattay's death:
Even in her loss, Jackie Godbey finds comfort in her connection to her son.
"I was never alone," she said. "I always had Ry. I still have Ry."
Bob Jones is the Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @BobjonesTV, or email him at BJones@wews.com.
