Roll of Honor
Incident
Undersheriff Lane was killed in an airplane accident during a search-and-rescue mission near the Sherman Pass summit at 1000 hours.
He and a civilian pilot were part of a rescue effort searching for a missing woman. The woman was found later in the afternoon when she walked out of the woods near the point where she was reported missing. The pilot of the Cessna 172 was also killed in the accident.
Undersheriff Lane had served with the 8-person department for 13 years. He had previously served with the Republic Police Department for four years and with the Soap Lake Police Department. In 1999, he was shot in the cheek when he responded to a neighborhood disturbance.
He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, two brothers, and four sisters.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, two brothers, and four sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-5CFD5A63- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Undersheriff Lane gave the Ferry County Sheriff's Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Republic community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff Lane.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Undersheriff Matthew John Lane is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Ferry County Sheriff's Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Matthew John Lane's cause is highlighted.
How Matthew John Lane Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Matthew John Lane is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Ferry County Sheriff's Department are honored on badge.nw.
