The Aporia · Man whose body was found stuffed in NYC school chimney was aspiring rapper according to grieving mom

Man whose body was found stuffed in NYC school chimney was aspiring rapper according to grieving mom

Read the original at New York Post ↗

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APA MLA Chicago

Woods, A. (2026, September 17). Man whose body was found stuffed in NYC school chimney was aspiring rapper according to grieving mom. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/us-news/man-whose-badly-decomposed-body-was-found-stuffed-in-school-chimney-is-idd-as-aspiring-rapper-who-was-afraid-of-heights/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Matthew Collado, a 29-year-old aspiring rapper known by his stage name A.K. Nash, whose body was discovered stuffed in a chimney at P.S./I.S. 113 Anthony J. Pranzo school in Queens on June 30, has been identified by police and his mother, Sophia Wood. The badly decomposed remains were found after an exterminator investigating a foul odor uncovered Collado’s shoe inside the ash dump. Wood expressed disbelief that her son, who was afraid of heights and hated fire and smoke, could have ended up in such a location. The cause and manner of death are pending further study by the medical examiner's office, leaving many questions unanswered as to how Collado came to be trapped in the chimney for an undetermined period.

Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Matthew Collado, a 29-year-old aspiring rapper from Queens, was found dead on June 30 when his badly decomposed body was discovered stuffed inside the chimney of P.S./I.S. 113 Anthony J. Pranzo in Glendale by an exterminator investigating a foul odor. His mother, Sophia Wood, had last heard from him on the day before Mother’s Day and filed a missing person report when he failed to show up for their planned visit at his grandmother's nursing home. Surveillance footage showed Collado leaving his apartment building early in the morning of May 9, just hours before Mother’s Day, but no clear reason has been provided for why he left or how he ended up in the chimney. The cause and manner of Collado’s death are pending further study by the city medical examiner's office. Wood is still processing the shock and searching for answers regarding her son’s mysterious disappearance and tragic end.

Written for “Body Found In School Chimney” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 25% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

New York mom searches for answers after son's decomposing body is found in school chimney Same event

Daily Mail

Hedges 8 of 35 claims Outlet record 69/100

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

25%

6 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Crime & Law

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Amanda Woods

52 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 52 articles by Amanda Woods →

Claims (24 extracted, 6 hedged)

The man whose badly decomposed body was found stuffed in a Queens public school chimney has been identified as an aspiring rapper who “was afraid of heights” and hates fire and smoke, according to cops and his mother. uncertain

who → decompose → cops

The rotting body of Matthew Collado, 29, was discovered on June 30 wedged into the smokestack at P.S./I.S. 113 Anthony J. Pranzo at 87 Street and 78 Avenue in Glendale – all because an exterminator went to investigate a putrid odor, according to authorities and sources. uncertain

exterminator → rot → authorities

About a month later, Collado‘s grieving mother, Sophia Wood, learned the remains were in fact her son’s, The Daily News reported. asserted

News → grieve → fact

“There’s a void in my gut,” Wood told the paper. asserted

Wood → ’ → paper

“I walk around in a daze. asserted

I → walk → daze

I still haven’t believed it yet.” asserted

I → believe → it

A spokeswoman for the city medical examiner’s office confirmed Thursday that the cause and manner of Collado’s death are both “pending further study. asserted

cause → confirm → study

“ Wood told the paper she hadn’t heard from her son since the day before Mother’s Day, when he said he’d spend the holiday with her at his grandmother’s nursing home – but never showed up. asserted

he → tell → home

She soon plastered missing person’s flyers around the neighborhood and began probing for any answers online. asserted

She → plaster → answers

The lack of closure has left Wood so desperate for any information that she plans to hire a private investigator. asserted

she → leave → investigator

“The cops have nothing. asserted

cops → have → nothing

No footage of how he ended up there, how he got into the school,” Wood told The News. asserted

Wood → end → News

“My son was afraid of heights so him climbing up there? asserted

son → climb → heights

That is not my son,” said Wood. asserted

Wood → say → ?

“He hates fire. asserted

He → hat → fire

He hates smoke. asserted

He → hat → smoke

It doesn’t jive with my son and who he was.” asserted

he → jive → son

Collado, raised in East Elmhurst, had planned to begin a new job as a residential aide at a Breaking Ground shelter, according to his mom. uncertain

Collado → raise → mom

He posted some of his songs on SoundCloud, his mom told the paper. asserted

mom → post → paper

“That’s how I hear his voice now,” the bereaved mom said. asserted

mom → ’ → voice

A pest control worker discovered Collado’s remains when a janitor called him to investigate a stench emanating from the chimney, according to authorities and law enforcement sources. uncertain

janitor → discover → authorities

The exterminator opened the ash dump and found a shoe – around size 9 or 10 – then felt a foot inside, according to the sources and the custodian, Brendan Chavez. uncertain

exterminator → open → sources

It was unclear how long the body had been stuck inside the chimney before it was found — but students said the rancid smell had been in the air for weeks. uncertain

smell → stick → weeks

The investigation into the shocking death is ongoing, the NYPD said. asserted

NYPD → say → death

Man whose body was found stuffed in NYC school chimney was aspiring rapper according to grieving mom

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Claims (24 extracted, 6 hedged)