Remains Found Near Eureka May Be O.C. Man

The skeletal remains of a body that might be a Huntington Beach man who disappeared shortly before his first “ultimate fighting” match 14 months ago were found buried in sand on the edge of Humboldt Bay in Northern California, authorities said Tuesday.

Matthew Anton Large, 23, a former star wrestler at Newport Harbor High School, was reported missing Dec. 8, 2001, after he failed to show up for a family reunion and the match that friends said he was excited about.

The remains were found Saturday, across the bay from a boat ramp where Large’s pickup truck was found submerged Dec. 28, 2001, Humboldt County sheriff’s investigators said.

“It’s certainly possible that [the remains] could be the missing person from Huntington Beach,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Juan Freeman said. “But it may take several days before we know for sure.”

Sheriff’s investigators notified Huntington Beach police of the discovery. Two police investigators were dispatched to Humboldt County near Eureka to wait for a positive identification and to examine the area where the remains were found.

The case is being treated as a homicide, though investigators have not revealed details of the investigation.”We’re hoping for closure on this,” Matthew’s father, Tony Large, said at the family’s home in Costa Mesa. “We were notified by police that they found remains, and now we’re waiting by the telephone for word as to whether or not it’s Matt.”

An autopsy was conducted Tuesday. Determination of the cause of death is pending, Freeman said. Because the remains had been buried for such a long time, getting a positive identification might be difficult, authorities said.

Huntington Beach police investigators do have Large’s dental records, said his father.

The last time the Large family saw Matthew, he was handing out tickets for the ultimate-fighting competition.

The young fighter stood 5 feet 8 and weighed 130 pounds before he began to train. He enjoyed athletic competition and saw ultimate fighting -- a raw sport that mixes martial arts, wrestling and kick-boxing -- as a way of getting back to that. Ultimate fighting has become a big draw in Las Vegas and a popular pay-for-view television offering.

He told his manager he was going to the Huntington Beach Training Center, where he trained and where the match was to be held. But he never showed up that night. His father, mother and brother left messages on his cell phone, but none of the messages were returned.

“We’re just waiting by the phone,” his father said.