Vermont State Police announced two new developments Monday night in their ongoing investigation into the suspicious death of an 82-year-old woman first reported missing last week.
In an 11:30 p.m. update Monday, state police confirmed that autopsy results conducted on the human remains recovered Sunday identified the remains as 82-year-old Roberta Martin, of Enosburgh. They said the cause and manner of death are still pending.
Martin last had contact with her family by phone on July 16, and had not been heard from since. Neighbors reported her missing to state police on July 17 after going to check on her and discovering she was not at her Butternut Hollow Road home.
State police said Sunday that they had located human remains around in a wooded area off Sand Hill Road in Enosburg. The area, which is close to Martin's home, was secured and members of the state police Crime Scene Search Team responded to process the location.
No one has been charged with Martin's death, but state police said they did take someone into custody Monday in connection with the case, though they said the arrest was unrelated to the Martin investigation.
State police said they were looking for 23-year-old Darren Martell, of St. Albans, to interview him as part of their investigation into Martin's death. Around 12 p.m. Monday, they said they observed Martell in a wooded area near the St. Albans Town School. As detectives approached him, they said they saw him touching himself in a sexual manner along the edge of a public walking path.
When he saw the detectives walking toward him, Martell ran into the woods. Additional law enforcement personnel responded to the area to assist in the search, and the nearby school went into temporary lockdown. Martell was located a short time later and arrested on a charge of lewd and lascivious conduct. He was held at Northwest State Correctional Facility on $1,000 bail pending arraignment.
State police said the arrest was "unrelated" to the Martin investigation, and he was one of several people being interviewed as part of the case.
The investigation remains ongoing and state police said they would like to speak with anyone who has information that could assist detectives. Anyone with information can call state police at 802-524-5993 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
