UPDATE – As of 6 p.m. Monday, authorities are still tracking but have not yet caught Matthew Taylor Nelson, according to Deputy Jeff Luther of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. It is not clear whether or not he has left the area.
VERO BEACH — At the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office detectives are hunting a high-end art thief who has been hiding out on the barrier island. At approximately 8 p.m. Friday they thought they had tracked him down to a condominium in The Spires, but when they entered, detectives only found the suspect’s 76-year-old mother, Patricia Taylor, home.Matthew Taylor Nelson A.K.A. Matthew Taylor, a white male born May 8, 1968, is wanted on charges of grand theft of more than $400,000 and dealing in stolen property. He could be driving either a 2010 white Mercedes SUV or a late model navy blue two-door Honda Accord, which belongs to his girlfriend. The Honda Accord was found parked on the west side of Ocean Drive across the street from The Spires.”We made contact with him a couple of weeks ago, but at the time, LA had not issued the warrant yet,” said Lt. Richard Lane of the IRCSO Criminal Investigations Unit. “Earlier this week we started to attempt to locate him to serve the warrant.”Nelson and his mother own a total of three properties on the beachside, plus he has access to the condo at The Spires, which is rented under his 18-year-old girlfriend’s name. The girlfriend was located driving Nelson’s Mercedes SUV at a South County residence and questioned.”I can’t say he made her aware that there was a warrant out for his arrest, but she is very much aware that the warrant exists now,” Lt. Lane said. “When we first interviewed the girlfriend, she said she had not heard from Nelson in two weeks, but in the course of subsequent interviews, we found she provided a great deal of false information.”On Friday, the girlfriend, who Lt. Lane said may face aiding or harboring a fugitive charges, provided the key to the unit at The Spires for police to attempt to apprehend Nelson. At about 5:30 p.m., the security guard positively identified Nelson and said said she thought he was in the building.Nelson was last seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday trying to jump a fence at The Spires. At that time, he was wearing tennis shoes, khaki shorts and a pink shirt. Lane said Nelson is known by the local merchants and has been seen frequenting several beachside restaurants.Pictured here is a Johann Mertz oil painting circa 1847 valued at $20,000, one of the pieces of art allegedly stolen by Nelson. The artwork, which included a later-recovered $236,000 Granville Redmond painting, was stolen over a two-year period from 2004 to 2006.According to the LAPD “suspect wanted” posting, Nelson had been working as an art dealer and would visit art galleries to obtain art on consignment. After gaining access and earning the trust of gallery staff, he would then use that access to steal artwork which was in storage. Another painting listed on the LAPD website as one police have linked to Nelson is a Lucien Frank oil painting entitled “Park Scene, Paris,” which is worth at least $20,000.Lane said Nelson is not considered to be a danger to the community, but that the grand theft charges against him are for stealing property of substantial value and should be taken seriously. Lane said there have been no thefts of high-end artwork reported on the barrier island since Nelson has been known to be in the area.The Federal Marshals have been notified and the Vero Beach Police Department is also aware that the Sheriff’s Office is tracking Nelson, as some of the properties to which he has access are within the city limits.Authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Nelson. Should anyone have information on the fugitive Matthew Taylor Nelson, Lt. Lane can be reached at (772) 978-6102.
