On Friday, May 5, 2023, George Mason University honors student Mateo Cobo Zevallos, 21, was last seen leaving his home in Oakton, Virginia en route to Mason. He was reported missing to Fairfax County Police on May 6, 2023. Mason University Police, working with Fairfax County Police, distributed a missing-student notification under the HEOA framework. On May 16, his car was found in Shenandoah National Park at the Overall Run Falls Trail, and his body was discovered on Sunday, May 21, 2023 near rock outcrops two miles from his vehicle.
Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
George Mason University
Public R1 · VA
~39,000 studentsMason Alert
Confirmed Timeline
Alert Sequence
3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim
Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.
INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction·535 chars
George Mason University Police, in coordination with the Fairfax County Police Department, are seeking the public's assistance in locating Mateo Cobo Zevallos, a 21-year-old George Mason University honors student last seen leaving his home in Oakton, Virginia on Friday, May 5, 2023, en route to George Mason University. Mateo is described as approximately 5'10", with dark hair. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131 or Mason Police at 703-993-2810.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Reconstructed; Cobo Zevallos was last seen leaving his Oakton, Virginia home en route to George Mason on Friday, May 5, 2023, and was reported missing to Fairfax County Police on May 6, 2023 after he failed to attend class
Mason's notification was distributed jointly with Fairfax County Police because the disappearance began at his off-campus home rather than on campus — a common HEOA scenario for commuter students
The 'honors student' framing is unusual in HEOA notifications; the inclusion likely reflects Mason's Honors College's high visibility within Virginia public higher education
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction·420 chars
Update on missing Mason student Mateo Cobo Zevallos: Shenandoah National Park rangers have located Mateo's vehicle in the northern area of the park near the Overall Run Falls Trail. Search efforts have shifted to the park, where rangers, Fairfax County Police, Virginia State Police, and volunteer search teams are combing steep terrain. Anyone with information is asked to contact Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.
Reconstructed; rangers located the vehicle the evening of May 16, 2023 based on a tip received that day
The shift to Shenandoah National Park triggered NPS jurisdictional involvement — a federal land-management agency added to the HEOA multi-agency response
The Overall Run Falls Trail is one of the most remote and steepest sections of Shenandoah, complicating search-and-rescue logistics
Based on a preliminary identification of remains found Sunday, May 21, 2023, the search for Mateo Cobo Zevallos conducted by Shenandoah National Park with support from Virginia Department of Emergency Management has been suspended. The body of a male believed to be Mateo Cobo Zevallos was discovered by searchers today at 12:15 p.m. The body is being transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Manassas for positive identification and determination of cause of death. Mr. Zevallos was reported missing to the Fairfax County Police Department on May 6. He was last seen leaving his home in Oakton, Virginia May 5 enroute to George Mason University. Based on information received Tuesday evening, May 16, Shenandoah National Park Rangers began looking for Mr. Zevallos's vehicle. They located the car in the northern area of Shenandoah National Park in a parking lot that serves the popular Overall Run Falls Trail.
Quoted from the National Park Service press release; the body was recovered around 12:15 PM EDT Sunday, May 21, 2023 in steep terrain near rock outcrops
The recovery roughly two miles from his vehicle is consistent with the rugged Overall Run Falls section of Shenandoah, which features waterfalls and significant elevation changes
Cobo Zevallos's case stands out among HEOA missing-student notifications because the disappearance, search, and recovery all occurred outside the immediate Mason geography — federal land, multi-county jurisdiction
01Cobo Zevallos was reported missing from his Oakton, Virginia home — a commuter scenario that highlights HEOA's reach to off-campus enrolled students
02The 15-day search period was extended by the rugged Shenandoah National Park terrain and required NPS involvement on top of the standard university-and-local-police framework
03The case demonstrates how HEOA missing-student notifications can scale to federal-land and multi-jurisdiction response as the search radius expands
04Mason's Honors College framing in the alert was an unusual choice that humanized the missing student — a feature increasingly common in 2020s HEOA communications
Outcome
Body recovered May 21, 2023 in steep terrain at Shenandoah National Park, approximately two miles from where his car was parked at the Overall Run Falls Trail. The death was not ruled suspicious.