Closure sought in missing person case

Family and friends of Peter Martin continue their efforts to find their missing loved one. But as months have gone by, the number of those who gather on Sundays to search areas on the Fond du Lac reservation has dwindled.

This week, looking for more tips and keeping the public aware that Martin remains a missing person case, those friends and family organized a walk along Big Lake Road west of Cloquet, where banners can be found with his picture, stating "Bring Peter Home."

Kayla Jackson was Martin's partner for several years and is a family friend. She spoke for the group of searchers Tuesday before they set out on their march.

"He wouldn't just go missing," she said. "He has a young daughter and he was a good dad."

"We think something happened," Jackson said of a search that has stretched on for six months since Martin was reported missing on March 11.

Search warrants show that an ex-girlfriend of Martin's stopped by his home on Rustic Lane just north of the Carlton County and St. Louis County border northwest of Cloquet. She was there for a custody exchange of their young child. She found the door open at his home and called Fond Du Lac police to conduct a welfare check.

Reports said they found damage to rooms at the home, including a smashed television and holes in walls. Martin's drivers license and tribal identification card had been left behind.

A tip led officers to nearby Giiniw Road, where they found clothing and phones believed to be owned by the 32-year-old Martin.

The Fond du Lac Band is the lead agency on the search, and it activated a full Emergency Operations Center search in late March. The Tribe reported in April that more than "1,000 acres of various terrain in the Mahnomen neighborhood of the Fond du Lac Reservation were searched, with 2,500 hours of support from community volunteers, Fond du Lac Police Department and other agencies."

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and county authorities have assisted the tribal police.

Complicating things has been a family with mixed emotions about how the case has been handled. Jackson said there is some distrust with the Fond du Lac Police Department. Mixed with few clues as to what might have happened to Martin, there is "frustration" and "bad vibes," Jackson said.

But she and others praised the work of police. There have been a few meetings involving authorities and the searchers over the summer, some more than two hours long, Jackson said. "I feel they are doing their best."

While some have called for more help from outside agencies, Jackson said the "lack of evidence" has been a hindrance. There is simply nothing to go on, she said.

There is a bit of "standstill" in the search, Jackson said, with so much ground already covered. "There's tips here and there, but we felt we needed to raise community awareness again," she said of the walk on Tuesday.

The searchers now rely on the police department to contact landowners to seek permission to search new areas, Jackson said.

She said the family wants closure, knowing that Martin is likely not alive. "They are already grieving," she said.

Martin's niece, Iz Martin, posted online last month about the frustration around the case.

"I wish something or someone could come forward already," she wrote. "If someone knows something, I just want them to know all the hurt they're causing us. I just want to find my uncle already. I want my mom to get her closure. It's hurting my mom. I want all of us to get our closure."

Anyone with tips or information on Martin's whereabouts is asked to call 911, the Fond du Lac Police Department at 218-878-8040, or the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office at 218-726-2340. Refer to case No. 24032470.