Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Ruth Louise Martin



Martin, date, approximate 1976; Russell Smrekar, date, approximate 2006
Date Missing 06/02/1976
Missing From
Lincoln, Illinois
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Age 51 years old
Height and Weight 5'7 - 5'10, 155 pounds
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Dark brown hair, brown/green eyes. Martin's blood type is A.
Details of Disappearance Martin was last seen at her home in Lincoln, Illinois on June 2, 1976. Her husband was the last person to see her, before he left for work between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m. Shewas supposed to go to work at 9:00, but she never arrived and has never been heard from again. A witness saw her car driving northbound on U.S. 66 at 9:15 a.m., but its driver could not be identified.
Two days after her disappearance, her vehicle was found abandoned in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn in Bloomington, Illinois. Martin did not check into the inn, however.
Her car had a flat tire and there was a considerable amount of Type A blood, which is Martin's type, in the trunk when it was found. Authorities found Type A bloodstains and a .22 caliber bullet on the floor of her home garage after she disappeared. There were no indications of forced entry to the home.
Martin was scheduled to testify against Russell Smrekar, who was accused of shoplifting two steaks (worth $4) from a Kroger grocery store. He was subsequently convicted of murdering Robin and Jay Fry and was sentenced to 200 to 600 years in prison.
Jay was the store clerk who saw Smrekar try to steal the steaks and was going to testify against him at the trial. Robin was Jay's wife, and was pregnant at the time of her death.
Smrekar was also believed to be responsible for Martin's disappearance and for the disappearance of Michael Mansfield, a witness against him in an unrelated burglary , but he was never charged in connection with their s.
A photograph of Smrekar is posted with this summary. In October 2011, shortly before he died in prison at the age of 56, he confessed to Mansfield and Martin's murders. He said he buried Martin's body under Interstate 55, which was under construction at the time, late at night on the same day of her disappearance. He was unable to give a precise location, however. Investigators announced that, in light of Smrekar's confession, they were closing Martin and Mansfield's s.
Martin was employed as a real estate agent at the time of her disappearance, and she has two children. Her husband died two years after her disappearance. Her body has never been found.
Investigating Agency
Lincoln Police Department
217-732-2151
Other
HOI 19
The Doe Network
The Lincoln Courier
The Daily Herald
The Peoria Journal Star
The State Journal-Register
The Decatur Herald-Review

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos