Body found in East Shoreham pool identified as Matthew Zoll

The man found dead in an East Shoreham backyard pool last month has been positively identified as murder suspect Matthew Zoll, Suffolk County police confirmed Tuesday.

Zoll, 23, had been the subject of a months-long manhunt after allegedly stabbing his father to death in their Rocky Point home last November. The young man’s cause of death has not yet been determined and is still under investigation, police said.

Zoll’s remains were discovered May 25 beneath a partially unsecured Loop Loc pool cover at a Pal Court home — a half-mile through the woods from where Zoll reportedly crashed his father’s black GMC Yukon while fleeing the scene of the killing.

The discovery was made by the homeowner — an off-duty Suffolk County Police detective — and his teenage son as they were opening their pool for the summer. That detective, according to Newsday reports, is part of the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the same unit that had been searching for Zoll since the fatal stabbing of his father, 54-year-old Joseph Zoll, a longtime U.S. Postal Service carrier.

At a press conference following the pool discovery, police noted that investigators were working under the “strong possibility” that the body was Matthew Zoll, citing the clothing, lack of shoes, and proximity to the crash site.

Zoll had reportedly fled into the nearby woods after the early-morning crash on Nov. 9 at Route 25A and William Floyd Parkway. Despite extensive searches by local police, K-9 units, and the U.S. Marshals, he had not been seen since.

The Pal Court property backs up to a wooded stretch connected to the parkway, near where authorities believe Zoll entered on foot following the wreck.

Zoll, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had previously gone missing in the spring of 2024 after stopping his medication, was described by police last fall as dangerous and potentially armed.

Joseph Zoll was also a former MTA employee. The Aviation High School (Long Island City) graduate is survived by three other adult children.

_{Top photos: Matthew Zoll with his father Joseph in a photo dated in 2019 (Facebook). The inset photo of Matthew Zoll is from July 2024 (Facebook).}

Prior coverage

Detective in murder probe owns E. Shoreham home with body in pool, report says