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Case Description

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Cathleen Marie Martin, 28, was last seen on March 13, 1987, after leaving her home in Cape May, New Jersey. She flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she planned to stay for a week but extended her stay by another week. She never returned home and has not been heard from since. Cathleen left behind two young children in the care of her sister.

Cathleen was described as a Caucasian woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a coffee-colored mark on her right arm. She may have used the alia ...Read More
Last Seen: Mar 29, 1987

Victim Details

May 16, 2011

Mar 31, 2020

Cathleen

Martin

65

28

68 inches

110 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

In the late winter of 1987, a young mother's life took a turn into bewildering silence, leaving a void that has been felt for decades. Cathleen Marie Martin, a 28-year-old female from the Kirklyn area of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, was last seen on March 29, 1987. At the time, she was described as being 5'8" and 110 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. A distinctive coffee-colored mark on her right arm served as a unique physical characteristic. She had embarked on a trip that began with her boarding a plane to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a popular destination for those seeking sunshine and a break from the routine. For Cathleen, this trip was also a departure from her life in Pennsylvania, one that, for reasons unknown, she decided to extend. The initial plan for her Florida visit remains somewhat unclear, but upon her arrival, she made the decision to stay for an extra week. This extension would prove to be a pivotal point, as it was during this time that all communication with her family ceased. She never made her way back home to Pennsylvania, and the vibrant young woman who had left her two small children in the care of her sister was never heard from again. The days turned into weeks, and then years, with no word, no sightings, and no clues to explain her sudden and complete disappearance. The investigation that followed was fraught with challenges, spanning jurisdictions and grappling with the limited information available from that time. The case of Cathleen Martin is a story with no final chapter, a painful narrative of ambiguous loss for her loved ones. Over the years, law enforcement agencies, including the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office, have kept the case open, hoping for a new lead or a piece of information that might finally illuminate the events of that spring in 1987. The lack of available details has been a consistent hurdle in the investigation. The overview of this case is one of profound and unsettling mystery; a young mother travels for a vacation, extends her stay, and then vanishes without a trace. Her disappearance left behind unanswered questions and a family left to wonder what became of her after that fateful trip to Florida.

Mar 29, 1987

Upper Darby

Pennsylvania

Delaware County

19082

No

10173

Cape May County Prosecutor's Office

Cape May Court House

New Jersey

Cape May County

08210

Marshall Cradock

Detective - Major Crime Unit

110 Justice Way, New Jersey

6094651135

County

Law Enforcement

http://www.cmcpros.net/

2008-035

2008-06-12

Cape May County Prosecutor's Office

Blond/Strawberry

Blue

Blue

05/28/2026


Area Last Seen: