NC NC - James 'Martin' Roberts, 19, Boone, 21 April 2016

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After watching this case recently on Disappeared, I'm going to have to go with the theory of "intentional suicide."

I think he had a mental breakdown as a result of things that had been piling up for a while:

—his parents' separation and estrangement (a word which Disappeared used, and to me suggests they were no longer even on speaking terms; in the episode, the parents never appeared together or even referred to one another, if I remember correctly);
—the natural anxiety that comes from going to college away from home; at that age, you begin to feel like you need to have the rest of your life figured out, since you know that you're going to have to declare a major soon;
—the fact that he felt he wasn't taking proper advantage of the many opportunities and privileges his parents afforded him.
—the DWI, which was probably the catalyst to the breakdown because it was a tangible representation of everything he perceived was going on with his life;
—unprescribed anti-depressants found in his room which, as someone else above noted, could cause depression and suicidal thoughts as a side effect.

I note that in this episode, the detective, when referring to the letter, makes it a point to say that it didn't say either way whether or not he intended to commit suicide. But he adds that Martin felt like a "failure."

What we do know is that he was being intentionally deceptive, secretive—even elusive—with everyone around him. His dad had tried calling him for a few days. Martin was alive and well in those days, but purposefully chose to ignore it. He intentionally lied about his whereabouts, offering different accounts of his whereabouts, knowing perhaps that the stories could be compared and his lies discovered, but it just seems like he didn't care. He suddenly, and without warning, withdrew from his main social networks, especially his frat, which to me says he felt like he needed to get away from things he perceived as "bad influences."

And lastly, when he left, he took nothing with him (except his state ID, apparently). No phone, no tablet, no wallet, no money. Nothing to say that he'd be gone long. Nothing to help him survive for extended periods of time. Because he knew he didn't want to survive long.

Honestly, his story reminded me of the ending of Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening. If I recall correctly, the novel ends with the protagonist swimming out into open sea—the implication being that she's swimming out to her death because she's intentionally going farther out than she'll have energy for in order to make the return trip. He was last seen going in the direction of Trout Lake and the surrounding woods. Maybe in a similar fashion, he decided to walk until he couldn't walk anymore.
 
College student Martin Roberts was last seen around noon on April 21, 2016, near the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. In the time since, there have been very few clues as to what may have happened to the 19-year-old. Martin vanished without his cellphone, tablet or computer. He did not have access to a vehicle, which makes his disappearance all the more troubling to his family. Thousands continue to follow the Facebook group Help Find Martin Roberts, where Martin’s family posts updates, and others share words of encouragement.

Five years of Dateline’s Missing in America: 109 still missing
 
https://twitter.com/hashtag/jamesmartinroberts
"Roberts enjoys hiking, camping and spending time on the trails in around the Blue Ridge Parkway, according to police.

Anyone with any information on Roberts’ whereabouts can call Boone police at (828) 268-6900, High Country Crime Stoppers at (828) 268-6959, (828) 737-0125 or 911.

Police are requesting anyone with any information on his favorite hangouts, recent whereabouts leading up to his disappearance or people he might have been with to come forward.

The Boone Police Department provided the following message in a prepared statement to the media:

To Martin – “If you see this, please come home or contact us. We love you”. – Mom and Dad"
More details released about Kernersville man reported missing in Boone
 
Next month would’ve been Martin Robert’s college graduation. Instead his parents will acknowledge a tragic milestone.

Easter Sunday marks three years since their only son vanished from a Boone street without a trace, leaving behind a cryptic note.

The investigation has yielded little information about what had happened after Martin was last seen April 21, 2016, at Appalachian State University — even with the recent breakthrough of accessing Martin’s iPhone data.

“We try not to focus on the potential negative outcomes until we’re faced with one,” his father, John Roberts said. “We realize the odds are that it’s not going to have a positive outcome, but that doesn’t keep us from having hope that we will be back together again.”

Easter Sunday marks third year since Martin Roberts disappeared
 
"It's been more than three years since an App State student vanished from campus. Police in Boone said the search continues, but they're running out of leads.

Over the years, police have conducted dozens of searches across the entire region and beyond, but there's never been any sign of Martin Roberts.

He disappeared in April 2016. His dad and family are heartbroken and desperate to know what happened. "We still have hope because we don't have a reason not to have hope," Roberts' dad said."

Carolina cold case: College student still missing after more than 3 years
 
This is a weird one. If not for the notes and the sightings I would think the Frat brothers had something to do with it. Sounds like he wanted to go away. Poor kid.
 
anniejanet said:
Oh on the Disappeared episode about this the police said they couldn't get into his cell phone because it was password protected. Isn't there a way to get around this?
Click to expand...
It appears they were finally able to get into his phone late last year (the “Disappeared” episode about Martin premiered on June 10, 2018):
Apr 21, 2019
“[SBM]

Investigators initially believed the key to solving Martin’s 2016 disappearance could lie within his locked iPhone.

The phone — left behind in Martin’s Boone apartment along with his laptop, iPad and bank card — remained an enigma until late last year when investigators gained access to the device’s data.

‘They retrieved a lot of data from the phone that has led to a lot of conversations,’ said Roberts, who lives in Kernersville with wife, Abbie. ‘They looked at names, numbers, locations, and they’ve been able to follow up on some leads from the information.’

Boone police contacted Apple in 2016 to override Martin’s passcodes on his devices, but hit a roadblock.

Apple representatives declined to help, citing a 2016 precedent where Apple resisted the FBI’s demand to crack an iPhone linked to the fatal shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., in December 2015.

Police obtained a search warrant for any data Martin had stored in the iCloud, but found nothing.

After finally gaining access to Martin’s phone data, a thorough exploration provided frustratingly little direction to what had happened to Martin, his father said.

’They found nothing definitive,’ Roberts said. ’There were some contacts that were previously unknown that they followed up on, they looked at GPS mapping functions, but they didn’t find anything more than they had before.’” (BBM)
Easter Sunday marks third year since Martin Roberts disappeared
 
I really really hope and pray that Martin is alive and will someday return to his family. Although it happens, it’s hard for me to believe he would not have re-connected by now. He appears to have a good family (meaning not disconnected or dysfunctional) who loves him, and has a normal life until the disappearance. I live in the Boone area and don’t see much awareness of Martin here anymore (local news might throw a story annually), which is sad.
 
It will soon be 4 years since Martin has been seen or heard from. Living in North Carolina and having a son Martin’s age makes this case more personal for me. I have a spiral notebook full of notes and thoughts pertaining to Martin’s disappearance. It’s heartbreaking because I do feel as though the DUI was the catalyst for the change in Martin and his subsequent “out of character” behavior. The unaccounted for gaps in time make me think that he was possibly seeking solace with someone who helped him devise a plan to get away, especially when it appears that he disappeared without any financial means to support himself. My first thought was that someone had made him think he didn’t need to worry about money. If the tuition and board costs, along with any legal costs associated with his DUI, had caused financial hardship on his family, I could definitely see Martin possibly feeling as though his disappearance would relieve his parents of the burden he believed that he had become. This is a tough age for young adults. I’ve seen it firsthand with how they internalize an abundance of worry and self-imposed stress about how they will ever be able to provide for and create a life for themselves, be financially independent, etc. God bless his parents who love him so much and have done everything they know to do to find their son and convey to him how much he is loved and wanted in their lives. I pray that as Martin gets a little older and wiser, that he will reach out to his parents or send them confirmation that he is alive and well. Otherwise, their existence will continue to be a living hell that I would never wish on anyone. I just can’t allow myself to believe that he felt so hopeless that he went off to take his own life. I do believe there is someone who knows exactly where Martin is and helped make his disappearance possible. I think the gaps in time are key to determining who that person is.
 
So, I don’t wanna jump to any conclusions on this by no means, I would like to get another opinion if possible. A unidentified body was found in Wilkesboro Nc, which isn’t too far from Boone. The description of the body itself matches the description of James. Some of the clothes he was wearing matches too but not all.
Body found in woods in Wilkesboro

Also this has been from May of 2019 I believe, but as far as I know it’s still an unsolved case.
 
Larston said:
So, I don’t wanna jump to any conclusions on this by no means, I would like to get another opinion if possible. A unidentified body was found in Wilkesboro Nc, which isn’t too far from Boone. The description of the body itself matches the description of James. Some of the clothes he was wearing matches too but not all.
Body found in woods in Wilkesboro

Also this has been from May of 2019 I believe, but as far as I know it’s still an unsolved case.
Click to expand...
I’d hope it’s not Martin, and that he’s still alive somewhere; but would also hope law enforcement would check these things for comparison but in these smaller jurisdictions you have to wonder... it’s a good observation on your part and hopefully has been checked and ruled out.
 
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