2 Bucks Co. Coworkers Disappeared On The Same Day: Now, 1 Is A Person Of Interest

PERKASIE, PA — New details have emerged in the case of two missing Bucks County men who both disappeared the same day in October. However, authorities need the public's help in finding their whereabouts.

Michael Allen Stark, 47, of Sellersville, and Matthew James Branning, 50, of Easton, were both reported missing after being last seen at their workplace in Silverdale on Oct. 15.

"I don't believe in coincidence, so candidly we suspect foul play," Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said of the unusual case.

In a news conference, Weintraub shared the evidence police have collected thus far.

He said video on Oct. 15 shows Branning stopping after work at an ATM in Sellersville, with a person visible in the back seat of his 2002 Lexus. Toll and cellphone data later show the car traveling around 5 p.m. to central New Jersey before going south to Cape May.

Branning’s cellphone was active at 9:30 p.m. at a Cape May Wawa, where store surveillance video shows Stark buying something. Branning is not seen in the video, Weintraub said.

The car then traveled north and then west on the Atlantic City Expressway, after which point authorities no longer have its trail.

Weintraub said there was no further evidence until Nov. 13, when Michael Stark was positively identified on video at Garden City Pawn in Michigan, pawning a bicycle.

Stark's appearances on video have now led authorities to consider him a person of interest in Branning's disappearance.

"I don't want to presume anything — we'd like to get him home safely as well — but we do have questions for him," Weintraub said in a news conference Wednesday.

He said Bucks County has an extradition order for Stark out to all states, to ensure the opportunity to question him should he be arrested elsewhere.

Branning and Stark's families both said they have not heard from them since Oct. 15. Neither man quit his job; they both simply stopped appearing.

"We have no indication that they knew each other, other than through work," Weintraub said. "There is no indication that there was any bad blood between these two men."

Police are asking for the public help in locating the men or Branning's vehicle, and in providing any information that could aid the investigation. The Lexus' license plate is KWS-5619.

Those with knowledge of the case can submit a tip online or call Bucks County Detectives at (215) 348-6056.

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