Found Deceased VT - Roberta Martin, 82, neigh went to check on her and didn't find her at home, suspicious, Enosburgh, Franklin County, 16 Jul 2024 *arrest*

[nhmemorymaker]

We have nothing verified she was a night owl, correct??

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Who was she talking to at 11:30 PM on Tuesday? I wonder if she was fearful prompting family to contact neighbor the next morning to check on her.

She talked with her daughter in Florida. But why.

 

[Tealgrove]

I know LE was waiting on a SW for the neighbour’s house. Did they get it? Have they been searching the home?

TIA

 

[mlhenn]

I know LE was waiting on a SW for the neighbour’s house. Did they get it? Have they been searching the home?

TIA

Not 100% sure but did find this:

Police investigating the disappearance of an Enosburgh woman spent Friday searching neighboring properties.

Friday, police were parked all day at a neighbor’s house searching the area and taking photos.

Thursday, neighbors told WCAX News they were told to leave due to a search warrant pointing to duct tape left in their yard. But it’s not yet clear whether anything police collected is evidence.


Down the road, police parked on Vince Zecchinelli’s property to search through tall grass and nearby woods. He said he was happy to let police use his property in their search for the missing woman, evidence or any suspects.

Police probe neighboring properties in search for missing Enosburgh woman

Police investigating the disappearance of an Enosburgh woman spent Friday searching neighboring properties, but said there were no significant updates in the case. Our Ike Bendavid reports.

www.wcax.com

 

[LookingForClues]

This is pure speculation on my part but my guess is that this was a random or unknown criminal and not the neighbor. Seems they’ve both lived next door to each other for many years, even if there’s any reason to find the individuals who live there unsavory (haven’t found anything in my searches), it just doesn’t make sense to me for a property owner to break into the next door neighbors home in areas like these, especially as it doesn’t seem to have been a burglary. Motive doesn’t make sense to me. These are very small, rural communities in the NEK where everyone in town is pretty much familiar with each other and most grew up together. They’re high trust communities for the most part.

Most of the residents tend to be older (lack of job opportunities and socialization for younger people) and more vulnerable, very isolated even by Vermont standards— many areas don’t have reliable cell coverage or even high speed internet, and theres much slower access to emergency services. Things like traffic cameras and security cameras are not common like other parts of the country, so it’s very easy to get around unsighted.

Given some of the details about the ac unit removed from the window and duct tape found in the bedroom, it seems like a planned crime of opportunity. Why a modest older woman would be targeted is beyond me, but criminals have very different thinking patterns. I’ve seen other articles about home invasions in the area by random criminals in just the past few years unfortunately. There’s lots of poverty, drug use, and isolation in this whole stretch of the east coast, all the way from the Canadian border down to upstate New York.

I could of course be wrong but my guess is that the police are doing their diligence with the neighbor, or releasing that information to throw off someone they might be circling in on. I’m not really surprised he may have declined a search without a warrant, most people would these days given the increasing polarization and lack of trust in LE, etc. Residents in these areas also tend to be very private and independent. I’ve seen much of the US, but the culture in the NEK is very unlike any other parts of the country.

Hopefully something like cell phone geolocation data is able to be accessed to identify any other individuals in the area.

I live one town over. Friends of ours live near Roberta. Enosburgh is not part of the NEK (Northeast Kingdom of Vermont). The NEK is on the other side of the Green Mountains, and folks who live in the NEK will be the first to tell you that Enosburgh and Franklin County are definitely not part of the NEK. Enosburgh is in the northwestern part of Vermont, near Lake Champlain. People who live in Enosburgh and other towns in Franklin County work in St. Albans and Burlington, at ski resorts like Jay Peak and Smugglers' Notch and nearby ski towns, or run family farms, and while we do have a lack of jobs here, it's nothing like the more remote areas of northeastern Vermont. You're correct that the culture in the NEK is very unlike other parts of the country, but since Enosburgh isn't in the NEK, that's irrelevant to this case.

Unfortunately we do have problems with drug dealers and addicts, like most parts of the country. I do wonder if she discovered a neighbor is involved in illegal activities. But it's also possible it was a random break in. Those of us who live here are worried about Roberta and why she has suddenly disappeared. I don't think things look hopeful at this point.

 

[Inthedetails]

I live one town over. Friends of ours live near Roberta. Enosburgh is not part of the NEK (Northeast Kingdom of Vermont). The NEK is on the other side of the Green Mountains, and folks who live in the NEK will be the first to tell you that Enosburgh and Franklin County are definitely not part of the NEK. Enosburgh is in the northwestern part of Vermont, near Lake Champlain. People who live in Enosburgh and other towns in Franklin County work in St. Albans and Burlington, at ski resorts like Jay Peak and Smugglers' Notch and nearby ski towns, or run family farms, and while we do have a lack of jobs here, it's nothing like the more remote areas of northeastern Vermont. You're correct that the culture in the NEK is very unlike other parts of the country, but since Enosburgh isn't in the NEK, that's irrelevant to this case.

Unfortunately we do have problems with drug dealers and addicts, like most parts of the country. I do wonder if she discovered a neighbor is involved in illegal activities. But it's also possible it was a random break in. Those of us who live here are worried about Roberta and why she has suddenly disappeared. I don't think things look hopeful at this point.

Very glad to have a local on the thread. So sorry this unsettling event happened near you.

jmo

 

[lesleyNOPE]

We have nothing verified she was a night owl, correct??

We also have nothing verified that she wasn’t.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I live one town over. Friends of ours live near Roberta. Enosburgh is not part of the NEK (Northeast Kingdom of Vermont). The NEK is on the other side of the Green Mountains, and folks who live in the NEK will be the first to tell you that Enosburgh and Franklin County are definitely not part of the NEK. Enosburgh is in the northwestern part of Vermont, near Lake Champlain. People who live in Enosburgh and other towns in Franklin County work in St. Albans and Burlington, at ski resorts like Jay Peak and Smugglers' Notch and nearby ski towns, or run family farms, and while we do have a lack of jobs here, it's nothing like the more remote areas of northeastern Vermont. You're correct that the culture in the NEK is very unlike other parts of the country, but since Enosburgh isn't in the NEK, that's irrelevant to this case.

Unfortunately we do have problems with drug dealers and addicts, like most parts of the country. I do wonder if she discovered a neighbor is involved in illegal activities. But it's also possible it was a random break in. Those of us who live here are worried about Roberta and why she has suddenly disappeared. I don't think things look hopeful at this point.

Thanks muchly for the clarification...
I googled visuals of the three specific counties that encompass NEK.
Learned something today!

 

[LookingForClues]

Thanks muchly for the clarification...
I googled visuals of the three specific counties that encompass NEK.
Learned something today!

It's a common mistake! Even people who live in Southern Vermont often call this area the NEK, just because we’re "way up there on the Canadian border." Many people who live in Franklin County grew up in the NEK and moved here for jobs. Other families have lived here for generations, logging and farming. You often hear the "Vermont accent" in this area, even the little kids. A 15-minute drive over the mountain and I'm in the NEK, but just the western edge of it. However, most people who live here are more likely to simply prefer small town life and don't mind commuting to their jobs at hospitals, universities, resorts and such.

 

[Jo in Calif]

Crews from multiple agencies spent the day Friday searching for Roberta Martin, 82, of Enosburgh. Members of the Vermont State Police, including the Crime Scene Search Team, executed a search warrant Friday morning at a house and property adjacent to Ms. Martin’s home on Butternut Hollow Road. As of 11:10 p.m., she has not been located.

Update No. 3: Investigation continues into suspicious disappearance of Enosburgh woman

STATE OF VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY VERMONT STATE POLICE CASE#: 24A2004920 RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Sgt....

vtstatepolice.blogspot.com

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It's a common mistake! Even people who live in Southern Vermont often call this area the NEK, just because we’re "way up there on the Canadian border." Many people who live in Franklin County grew up in the NEK and moved here for jobs. Other families have lived here for generations, logging and farming. You often hear the "Vermont accent" in this area, even the little kids. A 15-minute drive over the mountain and I'm in the NEK, but just the western edge of it. However, most people who live here are more likely to simply prefer small town life and don't mind commuting to their jobs at hospitals, universities, resorts and such.

I spend a lot of time in Southern Vermont. I'm moving to Hoosick NY, just a mile fr the Bennington line
Rutland feels NORTH to most people in southern VT.
The state is weird that way. Ha.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

God, I wish we would hear SOMETHING.
I feel just horrible about this woman.

 

[Tealgrove]

It’s awfully quiet.

LE isn’t asking for help.

Hmmmm.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

It’s awfully quiet.

LE isn’t asking for help.

Hmmmm.

I hope this is the sortof regular stance when they are on top of something but just can't pounce.

I think I am more suspicious of the neighbor than I was earlier..

 

[Inthedetails]

God, I wish we would hear SOMETHING.
I feel just horrible about this woman.

I know! I want Roberta found!

jmo

 

[mlhenn]

Police execute search warrant at a house in their search for missing 82-year-old Roberta Martin

Police say Roberta's family last heard from her late Tuesday night. They are calling her disappearance suspicious.

www.mynbc5.com

Vermont State Police's Crime Scene Search Team executed a search warrant Friday morning at a house and property adjacent to a missing woman's home on Butternut Hollow Road in Enosburgh.

Criminal Division detectives will remain on scene and continue working on the case throughout the weekend.

 

[mlhenn]

Police ask public to remain vigilant as search for missing woman continues

Police are asking the public to stay vigilant as the search continues for 82-year-old Roberta Martin, who went missing from her Enosburgh home Wednesday.

www.wcax.com

Police are asking the public to stay vigilant as the search continues for 82-year-old Roberta Martin.

Dozens of personnel from search and rescue teams have covered more than 1,500 acres on foot around Martin’s home.

Police say although there is no evidence right now to suggest the community is at risk, people still should take reasonable precautions, such as locking the doors to their homes and cars and remaining aware of their surroundings.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

From the same article (more about the neighbor's house/comments):

[NC], a resident of that home, said that state police were interested in the property after finding duct tape in the backyard.

“It’s like two years old buried in the dirt,” he said of the duct tape found on his property. He said that duct tape came from when he had taped some wires together.

“They found duct tape in her house and on her back lawn so when they saw the duct tape in my backyard, it didn’t matter it’s two years old and buried in the dirt,” [NC] said.

In researching owners of nearby properties, I don't see any that share the missing woman's name (Roberta Martin).

Duct tape does not sound good.

If it was so buried in the dirt, how was it seen. Hmmmm...

 

[MassGuy]

What if the neighbour that lived 75 feet away, was a 'friend' of hers that was actually taking advantage of her, like stealing from her, pretending to be neighbourly.

Lots of elderly people living alone are scammed by 'nice' friends or neighbours, who steal checks, or medications or jewellery, etc.

What if she confronted someone and so they felt the need to get rid of her?

Something like that would make sense. If you don’t know this woman, then there’s no reason to remove her from the premises.

So I think two things are true:

She is dead
She knows her killer(s)

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Something like that would make sense. If you don’t know this woman, then there’s no reason to remove her from the premises.

So I think two things are true:

She is dead
She knows her killer(s)

yes. But where is she?

As i mentioned last night.... I am more and more worried about this neighbor...

BUT ...... WHERE THE HELL IS SHE.........