MILL CREEK, Wash. — A man has been charged in an alleged 2025 rape of a woman he met on a dating app, and investigators believe there could be more victims.
In May 2025, 29-year-old Matthew Baird met a woman on the dating app Tinder and had been talking to her for about a month, court docs said.
On May 30, he asked her if he could come over to her house to watch a movie, and she said yes, docs said.
According to prosecutors, the pair began kissing--which the victim said she consented to-- when Baird allegedly tried to take things further. Court documents say the victim told him “no” several times. Baird allegedly ripped the victim’s clothes off, choked her until she started to lose her vision, and raped her, according to court documents.
The victim told investigators that she tried to fight him off, but she was pinned on her stomach. The victim has spina bifida and is wheelchair-bound and unable to walk, according to court documents, so she was unable to kick off her attacker.
The following day, the victim was bleeding and had tears on her genitals, court docs said. Initially, she was reluctant to talk about what happened, but later that day, a friend helped her to a hospital and a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) examination was performed.
The victim told law enforcement that she had only been talking to the suspect through the Tinder app and knew that his name was “Matthew.” He left his number in her phone when he left after the attack, according to court documents.
The DNA taken from the SANE examination and information pulled from the victim’s phone led investigators to Baird, court documents said.
When law enforcement spoke with Baird, he confirmed he did meet the victim over Tinder but said their sexual encounter was consensual.
On June 10, police tried to coordinate a meeting with Baird about the alleged Mill Creek rape, but they were not able to get in contact with him.
According to court documents, they were able to locate his address and contact him there. Law enforcement learned that a day before the alleged rape, a warrant was issued for his arrest out of Mount Vernon for malicious mischief, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct.
Baird was arrested for that warrant.
By July of that year, Baird was already serving time for third-degree domestic violence rape for an incident in Whatcom County. He pleaded to a lesser charge of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.
For that crime, Baird was in jail until May 18, 2026, when he was released for time served.
The same day, he was arrested in Snohomish County for the alleged Mill Creek rape from 2025. He was charged with second-degree assault with sexual motivation/victim vulnerability, third-degree rape/victim vulnerability, and fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation.
During their investigation, detectives learned that Baird had met several women through dating apps and he allegedly raped some of the women he was involved with, according to court records.
“Baird has 3 rape victims, possibly more. He met his [victims] online via dating apps, then raped & assaulted them. He has mult[iple] outstanding DV assault warrants, and on jail calls he has talked of fleeing to Utah. He has no job, family, friends or anything to keep him local,” the police report said regarding possible release.
KIRO 7 asked several agencies who have booked Baird for a mugshot, and they either didn’t have one or were unable to share it.
The investigation is ongoing. If you believe you may have been victimized, you’re encouraged to call your local law enforcement.