News Anchor Emily Matson Dies by Suicide

Beloved Pennsylvania news anchor Emily Matson has died. Matson’s cause of death was ruled as suicide by the Erie County Coroner’s Office, which confirmed Tuesday that the 42-year-old Erie News Now news anchor was killed when she was hit by a train in Fairview, Pennsylvania on Monday, Dec. 11, according to The Erie Times-News.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of our beloved Erie News Now news anchor Emily Matson,” the outlet’s parent company, Lilly Broadcasting, confirmed Matson’s passing in a statement Monday. “Emily was a shining light in our newsroom, delivering news with a passion and love she had for the Erie community and Northwest Pennsylvania. We loved Emily dearly and our hearts go out to the Matson family and her husband Ryan at this time.”

Matson worked at Erie News Now for 19 years, first joining the NBC affiliate in 2004 after graduating from La Roche University in Pittsburgh. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications and media technology. She began her broadcasting career as an intern at Erie’s WJET-TV before moving to WICU, where she first produced the station’s morning show for two years before she became a general assignment reporter. She went on to co-anchor WICU’s nightly 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekday broadcasts and was a two-time winner of the Outstanding Spot News Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters. On her bio page, Matson wrote, “One of the things I love about my job is that no single day is EVER the same. I love breaking news situations.”

Amid her passing, many of Matson’s colleagues have paid their respects, with Paul Wagner, a reporter at Erie News Now for 41 years until he retired in 2020, telling The Erie Times-News that Matson “was very, very upbeat. She was a very positive person. She was always encouraging the new people. She always had a joke for everyone.” WVLT-TV anchor Christyn Allen, who previously worked with Matson at Erie News Now, remembered the reporter as “the brightest light,” with Erie News Now reporter Jamison Hixenbaugh calling Matson’s death “utterly devastating” in a Facebook tribute. Hixenbaugh added that “there are no words to describe the loss of Emily.” Lisa Adams, a reporter and anchor at Erie News Now for 46 years, remembered Matson as “fearless and filterless,” sharing, “I think those were the two things that made her a great member of our news team.”

Funeral arrangements for Matson will be held on Friday and Saturday in Millcreek Township. Matson is survived by her husband.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.