Authorities confirmed that 34‑year‑old Daniel Z. Mattay, who was awaiting trial on charges in the killing of 26‑year‑old Ryan “Ryan T.” “JJ” Godbey, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Stark County Jail this week and later pronounced dead. Early statements from local officials indicate the death is being investigated as an apparent suicide, with the county sheriff’s office and state authorities reviewing the circumstances surrounding his in‑custody death.
Mattay had been indicted in August on multiple counts, including murder, felonious assault, strangulation, domestic violence, tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse in connection with Godbey’s death, and had entered a not‑guilty plea. Court records showed a plea hearing had been scheduled for December 10, signaling that a change of plea was expected ahead of a February trial date, but Mattay’s death means the criminal case against him will now be closed without a verdict.
Godbey, a 26‑year‑old Canton resident known in the local drag community by the stage name “JJ,” was reported missing by family members in late June after last being seen leaving a Canton nightclub. Investigators later recovered partial human remains in a rural wooded area of Stark County and, after DNA testing, confirmed they belonged to Godbey, prompting the upgrade of the case to a homicide investigation and the filing of the most serious charges against Mattay.
The case had drawn sustained attention from Canton’s LGBTQ+ and drag communities, as friends and supporters organized searches, vigils and social‑media campaigns calling for “justice for Ryan” and answers about what happened. With Mattay’s death in custody, prosecutors have indicated there will be no further criminal proceedings against him, though officials have not ruled out the release of additional investigative findings or the possibility of civil litigation related to either Godbey’s death or the conditions at the jail.