San Luis Obispo murder suspect in jail on unrelated charges

February 14, 2026

Photo by Jeff Specht

By KAREN VELIE

A suspect in the alleged murder of a woman in San Luis Obispo has been in jail on unrelated charges since Monday, three days before the victim’s body was discovered.

On the evening of Feb. 9, SLO officers booked 41-year-old Matthew Allen Olivas into the SLO County Jail on multiple charges, including willful cruelty to a child with possible injury or death, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a controlled substance and possession of brass knuckles. He remains in jail with his bail set at $295,000.

Olivas worked at the Chevron gas station at the intersection of Los Osos Valley Road and Calle Joaquin while living at a homeless encampment behind the station, according to a store clerk.

On the afternoon of Feb. 12, the body of a woman linked romantically to Olivas was found at the homeless encampment near a creek. She had been dead for approximately a week, sources said.

Words written on a tree branch in the area where the body was found, photo by Jeff Specht

The woman allegedly died from blunt force trauma in a suspected murder. The case remains under investigation.

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