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DNA Confirms Remains Are Those of Ryan Godbey in Canton Case

DNA confirmation advances the case toward a scheduled November pretrial.

Overview

  • Officers located human remains on July 23 in a remote wooded area of southern Stark County during the search for the missing 26-year-old.
  • The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation completed DNA testing that on Oct. 20 identified the remains as Ryan T. Godbey.
  • Ex-boyfriend Daniel Z. Mattay, 33, is indicted on charges including murder, strangulation, felonious assault, domestic violence, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.
  • Mattay remains in the Stark County Jail on a $1.5 million bond, with a pretrial set for Nov. 3 and a tentative trial date of Feb. 2, 2026.
  • Investigators earlier recovered Godbey’s ID and debit card along I-77 near the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Canton Police continue to ask the public for tips.