Investigations into deaths in Vermont underway – NECN

Vermont State Police announced two new developments Monday evening in their ongoing investigation into the suspicious death of an 82-year-old woman who was first reported missing last week.

In an update at 11:30 p.m. Monday, state police confirmed that autopsy results of human remains recovered Sunday identified those of 82-year-old Roberta Martin of Enosburgh. They said the cause and manner of death are still unclear.

Martin last had phone contact with her family on July 16 and has not been heard from since. Neighbors reported her missing to state police on July 17 after they went to check on her and found she was not at her home on Butternut Hollow Road.

State police said Sunday they found human remains in a wooded area off Sand Hill Road in Enosburg. The area, which is near Martin’s home, has been secured and members of the state police crime scene team have responded to the scene.

Martin’s disappearance was initially investigated as a missing person case, but state police said Thursday afternoon that new information led investigators to consider her disappearance suspicious.

No one has been charged in Martin’s death, but state police said they arrested someone in connection with the case on Monday. The arrest, however, was not related to the Martin investigation.

State police said they are seeking 23-year-old Darren Martell of St. Albans to question as part of their investigation into Martin’s death. Around 12 p.m. Monday, they said they observed Martell in a wooded area near St. Albans Town School. As investigators approached him, they said they saw him touching himself in a sexual manner on the side of a public footpath.

When he saw police approaching, Martell ran into the woods. Additional police arrived to assist in the search, and the nearby school was temporarily put on lockdown. Martell was located a short time later and arrested for lewd and lascivious conduct. He was held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility on $1,000 bail pending arraignment.

State police said the arrest had “nothing to do with” the investigation into Martin’s case and that he was one of several people being questioned in connection with the case.

The investigation is ongoing and state police said they would like to speak to anyone with information that could help investigators. Anyone with information can call state police at 802-524-5993 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.