The mention of him taking unprescribed antidepressants is a flag for me. There’s a number of well known antidepressants that can cause suicidal thoughts and actions in people. If he was taking those without a doctor’s guidance that could explain a lot.
NC NC - James 'Martin' Roberts, 19, Boone, 21 April 2016
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Reannan
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Saw this case for the first time today on Investigation Discovery (10/16/2022). It is a strange case that just feels "wrong" on so many levels. The first thought I had about the entire thing was "staged", mostly because of the note, which wasn't really a suicide note, and then the antidepressents. We don't know that he took them... they feel staged to me to force LE and everyone to think suicide. Feels more like a walk-away to a new life, or a deeper sinister plot that we can only speculate on at this point. Will be following this case.
PommyMommy
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DEC 5, 2022
Martin Roberts
College student Martin Roberts was last seen around noon on April 21, 2016, near the Appalachian State University campus in Boone, North Carolina. In the time since, there have been few clues as to what may have happened. According to Sergeant Shane Robbins of the Boone Police Department, Martin, who was 19 at the time, vanished without his cell phone, tablet or computer. He did not have access to a vehicle, which made his disappearance all the more troubling to his family. In 2016, Police told Dateline that they did not suspect foul play at that point, but were concerned as it was “very out of character” for Martin to not be in contact with his loved ones. Dateline reached out to the Boone Police Department recently to see if there have been any further leads, but has not heard back. Thousands continue to follow the Facebook group ‘Help Find Martin Roberts,’ where Martin’s family posts updates, and others share words of encouragement. Martin Roberts is described as 5’10”, weighing 145 lbs. with light brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt, an Appalachian State windbreaker, khaki shorts, gray sneakers and a white golf visor. If you have any information regarding Martin’s case, call the Boone Police Department at (828) 268-6900.
Martin Roberts
College student Martin Roberts was last seen around noon on April 21, 2016, near the Appalachian State University campus in Boone, North Carolina. In the time since, there have been few clues as to what may have happened. According to Sergeant Shane Robbins of the Boone Police Department, Martin, who was 19 at the time, vanished without his cell phone, tablet or computer. He did not have access to a vehicle, which made his disappearance all the more troubling to his family. In 2016, Police told Dateline that they did not suspect foul play at that point, but were concerned as it was “very out of character” for Martin to not be in contact with his loved ones. Dateline reached out to the Boone Police Department recently to see if there have been any further leads, but has not heard back. Thousands continue to follow the Facebook group ‘Help Find Martin Roberts,’ where Martin’s family posts updates, and others share words of encouragement. Martin Roberts is described as 5’10”, weighing 145 lbs. with light brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a black, short-sleeved shirt, an Appalachian State windbreaker, khaki shorts, gray sneakers and a white golf visor. If you have any information regarding Martin’s case, call the Boone Police Department at (828) 268-6900.
Aun
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I think that suicide is a popular thought here however, with respect given to your opinion, I believe the longer this goes without resolution, the less likely it becomes. The problem with suicide, among others is the lack of body. A massive search was undertaken in the hours after and for days yet he remains missing. In the time since, NAMUS has not produced an unidentified body that fits. Local and or national law enforcement has not produced publicly available information that would suggest a body has been found or any new case information has been developed. I think the fact he expressed regret in a letter and that they found antidepressants in his room leads many to assume suicide is a likely scenario. However, if we look with a more critical eye on what we are calling "evidence" to support this theory, it's just as speculative and believing he ran off to join the circus in Russia.
Where did he get the antidepressants? Did they magically appear in his medicine cabinet? Which one of his "friends or roommates" might have been taking the same antidepressants? Do we have a toxicology report that says he was taking those? What proof do we have they were his? Who is to say one of his room mates, maybe the same room mates that snatched his food planted the antidepressants? Honestly, they are just as simply someone else's as they are his.
Moreover, who is to say he was depressed and taking them for depression? We don't have any information. What we do know is he went shopping and should have had a store of groceries in his room but according to the investigators, the responding police found his food storage empty. Is all this food he purchased in the "multiple bags" noticeable in the bus video visa vi a bulging or otherwise full backpack? Where's the food? Maybe taken by someone who knew he wasn't coming back. Yes, this is a complete over reaction to a police report that notes he had multiple bags of groceries in the hours leading up to his disappearance while noting groceries were not found where they ought to have been but hopefully illustrates the assumption of suicide, based on what information has been released is just as speculative as someone planting the antidepressants. Both concepts are rooted in logical fallacy.
Specifically, his note has never been released. His father says it discusses regret yet he and law enforcement are either not sold it is a suicide note or they are minimizing the importance of the details to the possibility a public release might develop viable leads.
For all of the reasons we have discussed in this forum, I believe IF James Martin Roberts committed suicide, he had help. Almost like he followed a script provided by someone whom specializes in this sort of "assistance." Moreover, IF I can believe this is an assisted suicide, I can just as easily believe he met with someone who took him.
He told his father he was working. Let's look at this for what it is. He told his father he was working at a specific location but it turns out he wasn't working there. On the surface this shows he was pressured in some way to lie about employment. Perhaps not to "let down" his parents. Whatever the reason we are told he wasn't working but the evidence provided suggests only that no-one admits he was working at specific restaurants. In no way does this prove he wasn't working "somewhere." Regardless, why did he choose THAT particular place of potential employment? You follow that rabbit hole and it gets very interesting.
Are we completely ignoring the possibility he WAS working, just not where he said he was working? Maybe he was earning through non traceable ways or maybe he was working or otherwise applied for work at the Come Back Shack and in the course of that work, he met the Prewitt's and Zerrubbabel and subsequently became a walk away. The road he "walked" literally led to Z ministries.
"
Help. Missing Person - Zerubbabel Ministries Boone, NC
UPDATE: FOUND!! Thank you!!
Hi, my sister-in-laws mother has gone missing. She was reformed and home for about a year from this cult in NC. This past weekend she went missing from Pennsylvania and wiped her bank account. The sheriff in NC has made contact with Page Prewitt of Zerubbabel and they said Laura is alive but will not give proof of life.
Anyone have experience with these people????
They also own the restaurant chain Come Back Shack in NC.
Any help is appreciated!
"
***
This group has a tight community and is very well funded and can easily provide a haven for a walk away and be able to financially support that person. Reread that Reddit post, makes for an interesting rabbit hole. Moving beyond this, let's not overlook the fact there was a huge drug ring running at a number of colleges that included campuses in Boone...
Two App State students plead guilty for role in $1.5M drug ring across three university campuses
...were among 21 people arrested who were accused of, in part, moving thousands of pounds of marijuana, cocaine, LSD, Molly, mushrooms, steroids, human growth hormones, Xanax and other narcotics during the course of several years...."
***
So, investigations were being conducted by federal investigators, supposedly in collaboration with local jurisdictions but cooperation isn't always the case so local law enforcement could theoretically not have noticed a connection when originally investigating. Is it possible Martin intersected with this investigation in some way? Did he get the "antidepressants" through someone involved in this drug culture?
Hey, what were the "antidepressants anyway?" Many types of "antidepressant" medications are prescribed for anxiety vs depression and many college students have some form of prescription for anxiety nowadays as the general thinking is these types of medications help with focus and can even out the curve of academic achievement with students who do not have the same anxieties. So, were these "antidepressants" actually some form of stimulant? Again, speculation until we know which medication was found and can establish that they did belong to Martin AND he was taking them.
What's not speculation? He was arrested, at least once. I say at least once because as noted in an earlier post, I found two case numbers assigned to him just days apart yet only a single arrest is ever discussed. Do the two case numbers represent a local jurisdiction reassignment or do they represent two different interactions with the legal and judicial system. Either way, did he meet someone in conjunction with one of case numbers that played some role in either his disappearance as a whole or provide him with the antidepressants? Perhaps he agreed to some sort of rehabilitative effort that intersected him with a mental health professional? Perhaps a religious counseling experience?
Ultimately, his note has not been released. Why? For personal reasons? As a parent, if one of my own children were missing and left a note, at some point I would release the note, regardless of its content because my sole objective in life at that point would be to do everything and anything to find my child. This is not saying the Robert's aren't doing everything. In fact, it is clear they love Martin and are doing everything that can to find him. Sure, the note may be specifically damaging to Martin or his friends and family but every word is another potential tell that allows insight into his situation at the time he went missing and at some point, holding back the information provides diminishing returns.
All said, since they have not released the note in these many years I am left with the question: in what situation would law enforcement instruct me NOT to release something? When it's evidentiary value is greater when withheld? Perhaps. I do not know about others but like I said, as a father, on a case that hasn't moved the needle in terms of new evidence in years, I'd release the note, redacting names, in an attempt to bring in new ideas and hopefully open up new avenues of investigation.
I've reviewed this case from so many angles, it just doesn't make sense, regardless of the road you take with the logic chain. None if it. Specifically, based on the information that has been released, nobody can convince me James Martin Roberts committed suicide and his body is simply undiscovered in the forest between Boone and Blowing Rock. There are just too many other speculative properties that quite frankly make more sense.
Let's take for example Cole Thomas who went missing in NC in 2016.
NCSBI - Christopher Cole Thomas.
Cole was taking a break from college, found some work and met a few fellows through the course of this work. He was on his way to Florida from Wisconsin and disappeared in NC. One thing leads to another and these "fellows" claimed Cole jumped from a van and ran off, never to be seen again and as it turns out they were actually in NC carrying out a sizeable methamphetamine drug deal. The "fellows" were charged with his disappearance but later had the charges dropped because they didn't want to compromise the possibility of prosecuting them in the future. Thus, not a strong enough case to bring stand alone charges or perhaps they are working to establish additional connections to other crimes. Aka, missing people?
You ever follow one of these case rabbit holes so far you get on an insightful path where the logic chain just makes sense and it leads you to the next speculative event that fits and it keeps developing until you move so fast and swift to a you are startled and snap back and wonder how speculation can be so convincing? It's all speculation, every bit of it, including the speculation that he committed suicide.
Aun
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Sorry I missed responding to this. You are absolutely right, many people do carry on as nothing is wrong then move directly to self harm but in this case- we are to believe Martin left behind a note (a note that the consensus of those close to him believe is not a suicide note), his ID and credit cards, THEN packed the "frozen" dinners, THEN possibly proceeded to self harm. So which point do we look at as being the signal that he was suicidal? The moment he pulled his cards out of his wallet and left, the point he wrote the note that is not considered a suicide note or the point he disappeared. So if all of these precursor events suggest he was suicidal and planning to end his own life, then what was the purpose of the frozen dinners? Thus, the frozen dinners, if true, become crucial in understanding his intention in that, the point at which "they" happened represent a deviation from the purported "suicidal" narrative. Sure we can get into discussion about what is or isn't logical but if we take a step back we can look at it from a top down view. Martin is walking this path laid out in a note as leaving, some have suggested the period turmoil in his life along with the antidepressants as enough negative motivation to jump to the conclusion he was depressed and the note was something OTHER than what Martin said it was. They jump to the conclusion the note was a suicide letter even though the note described itself as a "leaving" note. The frozen dinners support the note was a "leaving" note because it shows an expectation for managing hunger right in the middle of taking his final steps? In my opinion, he made effort to ensure he wouldn't go hungry thus the steps were not intended on being his final steps. Now we can get into following some script set out by someone else but for the purpose of the frozen dinners, I think they are indicators he intended to survive long enough to need them and had the expectation of being in a place he could cook them.
imstilla.grandma
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“Please continue with your thoughts and prayers for his family who still remember and miss their son,” police said in a statement.
www.qcnews.com
Student still missing 7 years after disappearance near App State campus in Boone
BOONE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — James Martin Roberts, a student at Caldwell County Community College, disappeared near the Appalachian State University campus on April 21, 2016. Police said t…
www.qcnews.com
PeregrineFalcon
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Just listened to a new video about this case. Wasn't aware of this missing person. Looks like nothing has developed over the years. So sad.
ChanceEncounterx
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I really don't want to admit this but his is the only missing person's case which struck me as blatant suicide the moment I came across it this morning. He just lied so much and kept so many secrets, I think he was just done and over it. His case is very intriguing and gripping and I hope if we don't get closure we can at least look at it as a possible case study into depression/suicidality.