Mom desperate for answers after son's body found inside school chimney nearly two months after he vanished

A heartbroken mother says she has a 'void in her gut' after her missing son's body was discovered in school chimney.

Sophia Wood is looking for answers surrounding how her son, Matthew Collado, died. She hadn't heard from her son since the day before Mother's Day in May.

Apparently Collado, 29, said he'd spend the day with his grandmother but never showed up to her nursing home, sparking concerns about his welfare.

Wood then started sharing missing posters around her neighborhood. Eventually she got the devastating news at the end of July that his remains had been found.

Where Collado's body was found has left his loved ones baffled. His remains were discovered by an exterminator in a public school chimney in June in Glendale, New York.

The exterminator had reportedly been called in because of a foul smell, New York Post reports.

It wasn't until a month later that the body was identified to be that of Collado's.

Speaking about her loss, she told The Daily News: "There’s a void in my gut. I walk around in a daze. I still haven’t believed it yet."

Wood continued: "The cause of death is undetermined. The date of death is undetermined. The manner of death is undetermined.

"I have no idea how he ended up there."

She went on to explain that she was shocked that Collado had missed Mother's Day earlier this year as he was an 'amazing son' and would frequently visit his grandmother in her nursing home too.

"It’s so out of character for my son to be roaming this earth and not be in touch with me or his sister," Wood added. "We talk all the time."

Matthew Collado is said to have been close with his family (CBS New York)

Addressing how her son's remains were found, the grieving mother shared: "They were looking for the source of the odor. They found a shoe and then they continued reaching up the chimney and felt a foot."

Dental records went on to determine that the body was Collado. As it stands, police are reportedly unsure how Collado died and why he ended up in a chimney.

Wood says the police have 'nothing' and that there's supposedly no footage of her son entering the school. The 29-year-old aspiring rapper was last seen on surveillance video leaving his apartment in Jamaica, Queens, at 3:22am May 9.

A spokeswoman for the city medical examiner’s office confirmed on Thursday that both Collado's cause and manner of death are 'pending further study', says New York Post.

UNILAD have contacted the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner for additional comment.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].