Special (#11.5)

James Martin Roberts

If you have seen Martin Roberts, know his whereabouts or have any information about the case, please contact the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6900 or High County Crime Stoppers at 828-268-6959 or 828-737-0125.

James Martin Roberts, known as Martin, was a 19 year old college student living near Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. He disappeared without a trace on April 21, 2016 from the Appalachian State University campus.

Martin Roberts was attending Caldwell Community College and seemed to be your "average" college guy--he liked hanging out with friends, hiking, and going to the beach. So when he vanishes without a word, no one can understand what happened.

Martin was talking to his cousin at a bus stop around 12:30 pm on April 21, 2016 on the ASU campus. His cousin reports that he was talking about his plans for the upcoming semester and seemed to be in a good mood. They end their conversation and she gets on the bus. Bus cameras catch Martin walking away from the bus stop wearing a black short-sleeved ASU windbreaker, khaki shorts, a white golf visor, and gray New Balance sneakers.

Martin had talked to his dad that Monday night and promised to call again in the next couple of days. When Thursday rolled around and Martin had not called, his father became concerned. John Roberts, Martin's dad, called Martin's landlord to ask if they had seen Martin. The landlord and Martin's roommates all reported that he had not been around in a few days.

His dad makes a missing persons report to the Boone Police Department.

Upon investigating his room, the police find several things of note: antidepressant pills, a fake ID, his cell phone, laptop, his debit card, and a note written from Martin.

Law enforcement have not released the note written by Martin but have stated that it is not a classic suicide note. John Roberts has stated that the note talked about being a disappointment and wanting to leave but doesn't give any indications as to where he might have gone.

The antidepressant medications found were not prescribed to Martin by any source that law enforcement has checked with. It's unusual to see these particular drugs being used recreationally, leading detectives to believe that Martin might have been trying to self-medicate. He had no history or formal diagnosis of any mental health issues so the purpose of the medication is still unclear.

While the fake ID was concerning, it's not altogether out of place in a college dorm room.

What is more concerning is that Martin had no significant transactions on his debit card or bank account leading up to the disappearance. His family does not believe that he would have had access to any large sums of cash. There has been no activity on his bank accounts since he vanished either.

The only items clearly missing were his backpack, the clothes he was wearing, and some food items.

Law enforcement has been able to find nothing in Martin's digital footprint. If he had planned anything specific, he seemingly erased it. The only searches that law enforcement was able to conclude might have something to do with his disappearance involved joining the military and Marine workouts. Law enforcement were unable to find any evidence that Martin actually met with a recruiter, however.

Law enforcement puts out posters around the community and asks for any information about Martin's disappearance. Many tips came in but none that led to anything concrete. When the news went statewide, there were unconfirmed sightings of Martin as far away as Carolina Beach in a Taco Bell.

Martin is your typical, average looking college student. Nothing particularly stands out about him and he was not wearing anything unique when he disappeared. He does have 2 tattoos: abstract mountains on his forearm and a Bob Marley song quote on his right rib cage.

He played soccer in high school (he attended East Forsyth High School) but was not extremely athletic or versed in survivalism for long periods of time.

When questioned, Martin's close friends did mention that he had been acting a little shady lately. He would tell his roommates that he was going to hang out with other friends; when his roommates would see those friends later, they would deny ever seeing Martin. He was part of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was seemingly well-liked. He never showed up to the fraternity house on the night that he disappeared, which is where friends believe that he most likely would have headed after leaving the bus stop. He had no access to a car and was not spotted on any buses, so it's assumed that he caught a ride with someone or disappeared on foot.

He had a close relationship with his family, who lives in Kernersville, NC. His parents were divorced but he spoke with both of them regularly.

Before Martin disappeared, his father would have characterized his relationship with Martin as open and honest. But he found out that Martin had not been completely honest with him.

Martin had been arrested for a DWI on his very first day of sophomore year when he was 18 years old. He had told his parents that he was stopped for being drunk & disorderly--didn't disclose the full extent of his run-in with the police. He did end up losing his driver's license because of this.

He had decided to take a semester off from ASU but still lived in the area while taking online classes at a community college. He suddenly became disinterested in his fraternity & stopped logging into online classes. Friends stated that they soon became worried about his sudden lack of communication but weren't too worried about him. They changed their mind real quick when he disappeared without a trace.

An acquaintance reported to police that they saw him walking down a road toward Trout Lake, a nearby destination for students. They believed that he was heading towards the Blue Ridge Parkway or Appalachian Trail to go hiking. This theory has been debunked by many people as he was not wearing appropriate hiking gear and had never mentioned plans to go hiking around that time.

Other witnesses report seeing him walking in an area around the parkway but could not identify specifically where he was heading.

An infrared-seeking helicopter examined the areas where Martin was last seen but was able to see nothing out of the ordinary. Trout Lake was dragged but nothing was found. A team of cadaver dogs searched the area but came up empty.

Martin has not made any attempts at communication with his family, friends, or law enforcement since his disappearance. 

There are quite a few theories as to what happened to Martin.

Did he voluntarily leave to start a new life?

Was he abducted?

Was he hiking & became lost, eventually dying in the woods?

Was he murdered?

Is he alive but has lost all memory of his former life?

Did he intentionally leave to die by suicide?

No one knows.

Martin's case was featured on Investigation Discovery's "Disappeared" in an episode entitled Breaking Away which premiered on June 10, 2018.

If you have seen Martin Roberts, know his whereabouts or have any information about the case, please contact the Boone Police Department at 828-268-6900 or High County Crime Stoppers at 828-268-6959 or 828-737-0125.