Who Killed Kevin Martin? New Details Of Unsolved Murder Of Nova Scotia 13-Year-Old
His body was found six years after disappearing.
When an unsolved murder lacks answers or closure, families and friends of the victim struggle to go through life. And small communities, in particular, can be impacted on a large scale. Who would think that something so horrible and tragic could happen? That’s what people in Stellarton, Nova Scotia have been wondering for 25 years.
Who killed Kevin Martin? On May 19th, 1994, Martin ran away from home. Because he had run away before, his mother, Bonnie Thomas, thought he would return home. But he never did.
And Kevin remained missing for six years before his body was discovered by a logger, who noticed a sneaker sticking out of the ground. His body was discovered in November 2000 in a shallow grave, and was confirmed to be his remains in March 2001, with the case ruled a homicide by investigators, who believe he was killed shortly after he went missing.
Sgt. Dave Darrah of the Bible Hill RCMP said he couldn’t reveal the cause of death, but that he “died of violent means... We would describe it as a cold brutal murder of a little boy.”
Who could have killed this 13-year-old teenager? According to Thomas, her son was a good kid and was close with his little sisters. But he started skipping school when he fell in with a bad group of kids.
Because of his desire to fit in and the bullying he was experiencing at school, he just wanted to feel accepted. “He was a great kid. He just got in with the wrong group of kids. He was a follower,” she said. Is it possible that his so-called friends were responsible for his murder?
Retired police officer, Hugh Muir, whose children went to school with Martin, believes there was more than one killer, especially in the matter they disposed of the body. Though he’s no longer involved with the investigation, he thinks the murderers were familiar with the area and that someone out there knows something.
And for Martin’s mother, she believes she knows who killed her son. Based on the information she received from “Debbie,” who chose to remain anonymous, there were three people involved. Debbie says her information came from a relative who knew one of the people allegedly responsible, where it happened, and how. She passed on any clues she had with police, but it never led to any arrests. “The monsters who did it to Kevin are still able to live free,” Thomas said.
In the years since his disappearance and murder, his family has gone to great lengths to protect his memory and make sure he is never forgotten.
Each year, the family goes to Pictou County to visit his grave. They discuss his favorite things and share stories about him. “Kevin was a funny little fella. He always was there for his sisters. He helped one of his sisters tie her shoes and one drive a bike,” Thomas remembered.
His family dedicated a bency to honor his memory. Said Thomas, “We'll have actually have a place to be able to sit and just think about him. It’s just sad because he has nieces and nephews now that’ll never get to see him and meet him and know what kind of an uncle that he would have been. We still struggle from day to day with it, knowing that he’s not with us.”
His family hopes, above all else, that they will get the closure they deserve: “It makes me so angry because I know they’re still walking free and probably not a care in the world for what they’ve done. We’re the ones that have been suffering because of it. We’re the ones that have been dealt a life sentence... We just hope and pray someday there will be closure.”
Thomas hopes that by frequently sharing photos of her son on Facebook, someone will have information to come forward.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.