In the border town of Nogales, Arizona, a story of uncertainty began to unfold on August 10, 2010, the last day 38-year-old Ciro Hervet Martinez was seen. A Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes, Ciro was a man with distinct features that told a story of his life; a scar on his left eye and another on his head, burns on both of his arms, and a tattoo of a chain on one arm.
On that summer day, he was reportedly wearing a long-sleeved blue denim shirt, black denim jeans, a green military camouflage jacket, and brown work shoes. He also had with him a khaki wallet and a green camouflage military hat. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance are as sparse as the desert landscape where he was last seen; he was crossing the U.S./Mexico border.
The official report of his disappearance was not filed until over two weeks later, on August 26, 2010, with the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office. At the time he went missing, Ciro was described as being between 5'6' and 5'10' tall and weighing between 132 and 140 pounds. His short, straight brown hair and a mustache were part of his daily appearance. The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years, with no sign of Ciro or any clue as to what may have happened to him after he embarked on his journey across the border. The lack of information leaves a void for his family and loved ones, a void filled only with questions and the faint hope for answers.
The case of Ciro Hervet Martinez is a silent testament to the perils that can accompany a border crossing. With no witnesses to his disappearance and no communication received from him since he was last seen, the trail went cold almost as soon as it began. The investigation, managed by the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office, holds his case file, a collection of details that paint a picture of the man he was, but offer no resolution to the mystery of his current whereabouts. His story is one of countless others who have vanished in the borderlands, a region that can be as unforgiving as it is vast. The overview of this case is one of an abrupt and complete lack of information, a sudden end to a man's known journey, leaving a permanent question mark in the lives of those who knew him.Last Seen: Aug 10, 2010
