‘It’s just unreal’: Two killed in Overland Park house fire identified as engaged couple
Authorities on Wednesday identified the victims of a fatal Overland Park house fire as Adam Fetters and Tammy Matsuo, a couple friends said had recently become engaged and planned to have a wedding in 2023.
Fetters, 37, and Matsuo, 34, had been together for the past few years and were living in the home with Fetters’ mother and other roommates, friends told The Star. He was a guitarist and singer who aspired to make a full-time living with his music, and she was a professional graphic designer who enjoyed helping promote the band, they said.
Dirk Lindberg, 38, a drummer and longtime friend, said he knew Fetters when they were both attending Shawnee Mission West High School more than 20 years ago. They’ve played music together off and on for years, and were collaborating with their most recent group Epocℏ, an alternative metal-style power trio.
“His mom called me after she got out of the hospital and it was just like a light switch. I watched it (on the news) as I was getting ready for work. It’s just unreal,” Lindberg said.
Cody Backhus, 32, said he spoke with Fetters over the phone the night before he died to plan an upcoming show in Kansas City.
“I wish I said more,” said Backhus, who called Fetters his best friend. “I wish I said ‘Hey man, love ya.’”
“What can you say?” Backhus added. “The band in Heaven just keeps getting better, I guess.”
No working smoke alarms
Fire crews responded to the site of the blaze early Monday morning in the 10300 block of Westgate Street after a 911 call was placed by a resident who said there were people inside.
By the time first responders arrived on scene, four of the six occupants had gotten out but firefighters were unable to reach Fetters and Matsuo, who were trapped upstairs, Fire Chief Bryan Dehner said Monday.
The blaze was being investigated with assistance from the Johnson County Crime Lab and the State Fire Marshals, a standard practice in fatal fires.
Authorities said Monday that the investigation showed there were no working smoke detectors inside the house at the time of the fire.
Its cause remained unknown Wednesday.
A creative pair
Friends described Fetters and Matsuo as a creative pair. They worked together with photography and graphic design to make logos and videos for the band. In late December, around Christmas, Fetters proposed and they were planning to set a wedding date within the coming year. They said Fetters worked two jobs, including as a cook at Hen House, and Matsuo was a professional graphic designer.
The basement at the Overland Park home was recently dubbed the practice space, an area complete with recording equipment and set up for video production. Practices were held as often as weekly, with the most recent get-together on Friday night following a brief hiatus.
A musician from an early age, band members said Fetters was inspired by groups like Tool, Pantera and Metallica. They described him as kind, intelligent, aspirational, enigmatic and driven.
Gigs were infrequent for the duration of COVID-19 as the pandemic has led to hardships for local musicians around the world. But the band performed a few live shows, including at Overland Park’s VIVO music venue, along with open jams since its formation two years ago.
In the near future, the band mates hope to complete the music video that was being produced by Fetters and Matsuo for the band’s single track “Weekend News.” It was a project the couple spent many hours working on together over the past several months as its planned release was scheduled for later this summer, friends said.
