Kriti Mehrotra
With Netflix’s ‘American Nightmare’ carefully chronicling the infamous 2015 ‘Gone Girl’ case involving Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, we honestly get a documentary series unlike any other. That’s because it incorporates not just archival footage but also exclusive interviews to really underscore the way this couple was falsely accused of staging their own home invasion turned kidnapping. Amongst those to thus be significantly mentioned in this original is actually Lead Detective Mathew “Mat” Mustard, who never faced any official negative consequence in regards to this matter.
Who is Mat Mustard?
It was reportedly back when Mat was just a young boy growing up in California that he first developed a deep interest in law enforcement, only for it to continue expanding as the years passed. He hence underwent proper training before finally joining the force with the Vallejo Police Department in 2008, but the truth is most of his career has been marred by some pretty significant controversies. According to reports, these issues date all the way back to at least 2012 — roughly four years since his promotion to detective plus two years as the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association’s President (VPOA).
Mat was apparently one of the first officials to respond to a distress call from a hotel room, wherein Michael Daniels had found his girlfriend Jessica Brastow unresponsive after they’d been drinking all day. There were marks around her wrists as well as ankles, her partner had a few fresh cuts on his forearm, and there was also a saliva/vomit-soaked sock in a trash can, making him believe it to be a homicide. However, the forensic pathologists’ autopsy concluded otherwise, just for him to allegedly unsuccessfully pressure them into changing the findings — yet Michael was still charged, only to be acquitted in 2014.
Then came March 23, 2015, and the abduction of Denise Huskins from her boyfriend Aaron Quinn’s Mare Island home mere hours after they’d romantically reconnected following a few tough personal weeks. Mat thus essentially concluded this youngster had heinously slain and disposed of her in the middle of the night before dialing 911 hours later, just to be stumped when she turned up alive 48 hours later. The police theory then became this couple had faked everything for their own gain, that is, until the Dublin Police Department helped determine they weren’t lying and Matthew Muller was their perpetrator.
Nevertheless, Mat received his local department’s Officer of the Year 2015 award from former chief Andrew Bidou, both of whom were named in Denise and Aaron’s defamation lawsuit against the city. This suit was eventually settled out of court for an astounding $2.5 million in 2018, but it unfortunately meant no officials would be disciplined for their role in the couple’s traumatic experiences. This union president was hence able to quickly climb up the industry ladder and became Sergeant in 2017, though records suggest he blatantly lowered promotion standards to ensure his own progress.
Then there are the ensuing claims of Mat being a dirty cop; of him supposedly continuing to omit or influence different aspects of cases to fit his beliefs and repeatedly making implied racist comments. So it’s believed that an internal investigation concerning the latter is what led him to part ways with his post as President of the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association following nearly a decade (2010-2019). However, now-president Michael “Mike” Nichelini has since openly indicated, “There is no story here. Changes are made to the Board of Directors all the time. Assignments change, people retire, etc.”
Where is Mat Mustard Now?
From what we can tell, it was back on September 15, 2018, that Mat was promoted to his current position as sergeant, through which he has already served with the parole unit as well as the investigations bureau. In fact, it appears as if he leads the latter at the moment, enabling him to not just be at the front and center of most high-priority cases in the local Vallejo area but also earn upwards of $350,000 to $400,000 a year. As for all the controversies and investigations against him, it seems like he has never formally been convicted, disciplined, or held responsible in any other manner for any possible wrongdoing.
Therefore, today, Mat apparently continues to serve as a detective sergeant for the Vallejo Police Department in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, where he’s surrounded by loved ones. If we’re being honest, information regarding his personal life is unfortunately unclear at the moment, yet it does look like he’s perfectly content these days, which is all that matters in this sense in the long run.
Read More: Where is Misty Carausu Now?
