Man accused of raping Mill Creek woman he met on Tinder

Published 10:47 am Friday, May 22, 2026

EVERETT — A Skagit County man is accused of rape and assault for attacking a Mill Creek woman he met through an online dating app and police said there may be more victims.

Matthew Baird, 29, from Concrete, was taken into custody on Tuesday after being released from jail in Whatcom County, where he was being held on similar charges, court records said.

Detectives with the Mill Creek Police Department began investigating in June 2025 after a 27-year-old woman reported she was raped by a man she met on the online dating app Tinder, court documents said.

The two were on a date inside her Mill Creek home when Baird allegedly became violent, according to charging papers. The woman said that Baird choked her, bit her and pulled her hair during the sexual assault, court records said.

The woman, who uses a wheelchair and has very little movement in her legs, told police it was impossible for her to fight Baird off, according to court records.

Baird is being held on suspicion of third-degree felony rape and second-degree assault by strangulation, as well as a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault, court records said.

During the investigation, detectives spoke with two women who were previously in relationships with Baird after meeting him through online dating apps, court documents said. Both women reported similar experiences with the man, including being raped, according to court documents.

Before his arrest this week, Baird was in Whatcom County Jail for nearly 10 months after pleading guilty to a fourth-degree charge of assault with a sexual motivation for an attack on one of those women, according to court records.

Mill Creek police Detective Jake McClain told The Daily Herald the investigation is ongoing and they are actively seeking out other people who may have been a victim of Baird. If you or someone you know may have been a victim, contact Mill Creek police at jake.mcclain@millcreekwa.gov.

Baird is being held in the Snohomish County Jail on a total bond of $102,500, according to court records.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3097; ian.davis-leonard@heraldnet.com