In the affluent and serene community of Delafield, Wisconsin, where crime is a rarity and safety is a given, a grim discovery in the summer of 2022 shattered the peace. What began as a routine afternoon for a construction crew putting up trespassing signs ended with the discovery of mummified human remains hidden deep within a thicket of brush. This discovery launched a complex, three-year investigation into the life and tragic death of Stephanie Pavlons, leading to a trial that would test the limits of circumstantial evidence and expose the dark reality of domestic violence.
The Discovery in the Woods
On a Friday in September 2022, the Delafield Police Department received a 911 call from a vacant lot near the Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin. Workers reported a pungent odor and the sight of a body that appeared to have been there for a significant amount of time. Responding officers found the remains lying on their back, approximately 20 feet into the tree line. The state of decomposition was so advanced—approaching a mummified state—that neither gender nor the cause of death could be immediately determined.
Detective Brian Fredericks and his team faced an uphill battle. There were no wallets, no identification, and no missing person reports that matched the location. The medical examiner could only conclude that the remains belonged to a female between the ages of 20 and 50. However, two distinct clues emerged: a surgical pin in her wrist and two tattoos—a tribal rose on her arm and a “J” on her ankle.
Through a Wisconsin Department of Corrections database, investigators found a match: Stephanie Pavlons.
A Family in Waiting
When detectives approached Stephanie’s parents, Dr. Fredericks and Mrs. Pavlons, they were met with a heartbreaking reality. Stephanie had been missing for weeks, but they hadn’t reported it. Stephanie had a history of disappearing for stretches of time, often staying with her long-term boyfriend, Matthew Paul, in Waukesha.
“She would be gone for weeks and then come home for a couple of days,” her mother explained. The last time they saw her, she was getting dressed to go to a YMCA appointment with Matthew. They assumed she was simply living her life. The confirmation of her identity via her tattoos was a devastating blow to a family that held onto the hope that she would eventually walk back through their door.
The Suspect: Matthew Paul
The investigation quickly centered on Matthew Paul, the father of Stephanie’s daughter, Ila. Their 20-year relationship was described by family as “rocky” and “on-again, off-again.” When police first approached Matthew, his immediate response was a red flag: “Whatever you guys are here for, I didn’t do it.”
During a recorded interrogation, Matthew attempted to control the narrative. He portrayed Stephanie as someone struggling with severe mental health issues and addiction. He repeatedly brought up her alleged “suicidal tendencies” and history of running off into the woods to vent.
Detectives, playing “dumb” to keep Matthew talking, let him weave a story. He claimed that on August 23, 2022, he took Stephanie to his orthopedic appointment. He said she stayed in the truck while he went inside, and when he returned, she was gone. Curiously, he claimed he found her purse and a “breakup note” in his truck a week later—yet he never reported her missing.
The Digital Breadcrumbs
With no cause of death from the medical examiner and no eyewitnesses, the prosecution relied on a “mountain of circumstantial evidence.” Surveillance footage from Matthew’s apartment complex showed Stephanie leaving with him on the morning of August 23, wearing the same clothes she was found in. She was seen carrying a pink water bottle and a black purse with chain straps.
A dashcam from Matthew’s truck and cell phone location data provided the timeline. Both phones traveled from the apartment to the vicinity of the woods where her body was found. However, while both phones returned to the apartment, Stephanie did not. Subsequent footage showed Matthew returning to the apartment alone, carrying Stephanie’s pink water bottle and her purse inside a plastic bag.
Perhaps most chilling were Matthew’s online activities. While Stephanie lay decomposing in the woods, Matthew was engaged in sexual conversations with women in the Philippines, making plans to move there on a one-way ticket. He even told one of the women that someone in his circle was “missing” long before the body was publicly identified.
The Journal from the Grave
The most emotional evidence presented at trial was Stephanie’s personal journal. In entries dating back to 2020, she documented the horrific abuse she suffered at Matthew’s hands.
“Had a good day at work until I came home… gave me a good hard slap to my face which stung and gave me a migraine,” one entry read. Others described blown-out eardrums, spinal bruises, and a feeling of being “trapped.” The journal gave Stephanie a voice she didn’t have in life, painting a picture of a woman who wasn’t suicidal, but was desperately trying to find the strength to leave.
The Rebuttal Theory
The defense argued that because the medical examiner listed the cause of death as “undetermined,” the state could not prove a murder had occurred. They suggested suicide or an accidental overdose as plausible explanations.
In a dramatic rebuttal, Prosecutor Christy Gordon presented a theory that tied every loose end together. She posited that while Matthew was at his doctor’s appointment, Stephanie reached a breaking point. She wrote the note found in the truck—not as a suicide note, but as a breakup note. When Matthew returned and read it, he flew into a rage.
Gordon argued that Matthew caught up to Stephanie as she tried to walk away toward the woods. In a final act of control, he used the metal chain strap of her own purse to strangle her. The theory explained the lack of a traditional murder weapon and why Matthew was seen carrying her purse back into the apartment later that day.
Verdict and Sentencing
The jury’s deliberation lasted only one hour—a remarkably short time for a homicide case. Matthew Paul was found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.
At the sentencing, Stephanie’s daughter, Ila, addressed the court. “You killed the one person that made me happy… I hope you rot in jail,” she told her father. Matthew, unrepentant, labeled the trial a “sham” and compared himself to a victim of the “Gestapo.”
Judge Ramirez was unmoved by Matthew’s outburst. Citing the need to protect the community from such a “monster,” the judge sentenced Matthew Paul to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 12.5 years for hiding the corpse.
A Final Word on Domestic Violence
The case of Stephanie Pavlons serves as a stark reminder of the “silent epidemic” of domestic abuse. Stephanie’s parents chose to speak out not just for justice, but to warn others.
“The reason I’m doing this today is to help anybody who’s in that kind of a situation,” her father said. “Give them the courage to leave the person that’s abusing them. Just reach out to somebody to get help.”
While Stephanie’s life was taken far too soon, the meticulous work of Wisconsin law enforcement and the courage of her family ensured that her killer would never hurt anyone again. Justice was finally served for the woman who disappeared into the woods of Delafield.