Martin Disappearance Remains a Mystery
Sunday, March 17, 2013 @ 5:46 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The RCMP classifies it as a Missing Persons case, and it remains one of the most baffling puzzles still to be solved in the Prince George area.
It’s the case of Vernon Martin, who was 55-year-old on December 19th, 2009 when the NT Air Hangar at the Prince George Airport, a building Martin co-owned, was destroyed in a massive fire. The cause of the fire was officially listed as “undetermined.” Martin was reported missing by his family the day after the blaze. At first it was assumed that Martin had died in the fire because his pick-up was found parked in front of the hangar. But two subsequent and exhaustive searches of the rubble of the building by a team led by University of Northern BC forensic anthropologist Dr. Richard Lazenby failed to turn up any trace of the man. Dr. Lazenby stated categorically that there were no human remains in the rubble.
Since that time the Prince George RCMP Serious Crimes Unit has been investigating Martin’s disappearance, but with no
positive results. Then in May, 2012, it was revealed that in 2010 officials in Vermillion, Alberta had charged Martin with two counts of sexual assault involving two separate victims in cases dating back to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Vermillion RCMP continue to try to serve Martin with arrest warrants on that file, while Prince George Mounties try to solve their missing person case.
positive results. Then in May, 2012, it was revealed that in 2010 officials in Vermillion, Alberta had charged Martin with two counts of sexual assault involving two separate victims in cases dating back to the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Vermillion RCMP continue to try to serve Martin with arrest warrants on that file, while Prince George Mounties try to solve their missing person case.
Prince George Media Relations Officer, Corporal Craig Douglass, says “virtually everything we’ve had we’ve gone public with and any tips we’ve received have come up empty. Certainly none of the information that’s been provided has led to his whereabouts. We would certainly welcome any further information and would appeal to the public in that regard, which we have done before. But we need more leads.”
Cpl. Douglass says investigators here are not aware that there was any criminal aspect to Martin’s disappearance. “Our investigation is a missing person investigation and, like any investigation, if information came to us of a criminal nature then we’d obviously look at that aspect as well. But we have no reason to believe it’s anything else than a missing person investigation at this point.”
Cpl. Douglass says that following Dr. Lazenby’s searches of the hangar rubble police were “absolutely” convinced that Martin did not die in the fire. But what happened to Martin? Where is he? And if he is alive, how would he be surviving, financially? Cpl. Douglass says “Certainly that is an aspect of almost all missing person investigations, is the financials, because it is hard for people to survive without money. His financials were looked at and did not provide any evidence as to his whereabouts.”
The disappearance remains an active file as police hope to turn up that key piece of information. “There’s been nothing new or significant. We’re just waiting for something to happen. It is very mysterious” says Douglass.
If you recognize the picture of Vernon Martin and have information regarding his possible whereabouts, call the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.
Comments
The Martins are a pretty tight ship.
So you are saying that the rest of the family might know something AAV?
Strange story, wonder why the RCMP are not looking into the criminal side? Seems to me that if he had a criminal past, that perhaps that past came to haunt him. It does seem reasonable that perhaps the victim or family member of one of the victims could easily cause harm to him, hide the remains, and even set fire to the building. Leaving the RCMP to think he died in the fire.
Just a thought.
Who knows what really happened? If a person with lots of money wants to disappear, they will disappear.
Just maybe, Dr. Lazenby is not quite as good as he lets on.
I am guessing the Philippines or mexico
I agree with Dragonmaster. Seems like there are more questions than answers, given the new charges.
“Just maybe, Dr. Lazenby is not quite as good as he lets on.”
That is a theoretical possibility, but in practice very unlikely. The failure to find bone fragments is probably definitive. It isn’t easy to burn bone beyond recognition – quite a lot of bone survives intentional funerary cremation. The fire investigation people were probably able to determine with considerable confidence how hot the fire was. Unless it was unusually hot, we would expect to find bone fragments if a body had been in the fire. And finding bone fragments is not that tough in a careful search, where the debris is sieved. So, unless Lazenby and his students were awfully sloppy or the fire burned very hot for quite a while and the fire investigators failed to detect it, the conclusion that Martin’s body was not destroyed in the fire should be considered secure.
It would seem to me that closure with this on going mystery “missing Martin” drama could end from within the “Martin Clan” itself. They (the MARTIN Family) could and should post a substanial REWARD that would be more beneficial in aiding the authorities, than what has not worked so far.
Maybe the RCMP doesn’t want to find him —
Thailand and Cambodia are the places to disappear.
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