Alberta man wanted for threatening, harassing women on dating apps: Edmonton police

An Edmonton man who has been previously accused of engaging in harassing, threatening behaviour towards women he matched with on online dating apps and sites in Calgary has allegedly done the same thing in Edmonton, where police have issued an arrest warrant.

The 36-year-old man, who is on probation, is known to harass and threaten women he meets on dating and escort sites, Edmonton police said on Wednesday.

The behaviour has allegedly been going on for years in Edmonton and Calgary.

Back in 2022, Edmonton police received a complaint from a woman who had matched with a man on Tinder.

The pair exchanged phone numbers, after which police said he began harassing and berating her.

When she blocked his number, he reportedly used several other phone numbers to continue the harassment and threats.

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Police said the harassment stopped for a few years before resuming this year when the accused found the victim on an escort website, LeoList, where he began messaging her again under a pseudonym.

The accused reportedly arranged a date with the woman using a fake name and photo to avoid being recognized.

Matthew Edward Williams, 36, who also goes by the name Matthew Galpin, is wanted for uttering threats to cause bodily harm and criminal harassment in Edmonton. Edmonton Police Service

When the woman refused to continue the date, he allegedly progressed to threatening her. Last month, Edmonton police obtained warrants for the man.

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Matthew Edward Williams, 36, who also goes by the name Matthew Galpin, is wanted for uttering threats to cause death and/or bodily harm and criminal harassment stemming from an incident on Nov. 10.

He is described as being five feet nine inches tall, approximately 180 pounds, with light brown hair and blue eyes.

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The EPS said it was issuing a warning in the interest of public safety, as investigators believe the accused is targeting women on dating apps and women who advertise as sex workers on escort sites.

The  accused is known to use fake names and photos, police said.

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Williams is already bound by two release orders for uttering threats and assault in similar investigations out of Calgary and B.C.

In 2023, the Calgary Police Service issued a near-identical warning about Williams.

According to the CPS, in May of 2023 three women filed complaints about receiving messages threatening violence from a man they met on dating site.

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The first woman said she met and interacted with a man online. When she didn’t respond for several hours, the man allegedly threatened physical harm in a text message. She then blocked his number, but received more threatening text messages from two other numbers.

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The second woman said she met a man on a dating site and later met him in person. She later received threatening text messages from him, allegedly saying he would break into her home and harm her.

The third woman told police she allegedly received similar threatening messages from a man with the same description who she met on a dating site.

View image in full screen According to the CPS, three women have come forward to police since early May this year, reporting that they have received messages threatening violence from a man they met on a dating site. Calgary Police Service/Provided

At that time, Calgary police also laid three charges of uttering threats against Williams.

Court records show in 2023 he ended up being charged with multiple counts of issuing death threats and threats of bodily harm, along with criminal harassment, stalking and mischief.

All of the charges were laid in Calgary, Alberta justice confirmed on Wednesday.

Several of the charges were withdrawn on March 5, 2025, when Williams was sentenced to two years of probation and issued a firearms ban after being found guilty of mischief committed on May 2, 2023 and death threats on May 8, 2023.

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On that same day, he also pleaded guilty to another charge of threats to cause death/bodily harm.

Edmonton police believe there may be other complainants in the region and are encouraging them to come forward by contacting EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.

Anyone with information about Williams’ whereabouts is asked to contact police.

–with files from Paula Tran

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