On a summer afternoon in St. Joseph, Missouri, 15-year-old Ashley Renee Martinez was dropped off by her mother at the Krug Pool with her younger brother on July 6, 2004. When her mother returned to pick them up, only her son was waiting. Ashley had vanished. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as being between 5'3' and 5'5' tall and weighing around 110 pounds, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.
Distinctive features included piercings in her tongue, navel, and ears, as well as a scar on her left arm. She was last seen wearing blue jean shorts, a black top, and a black bikini with a red cherry print underneath.
Initial investigations revealed that Ashley may have planned to run away. She had spoken with friends about leaving, and it was soon discovered that she might not have left alone. Authorities learned that Ashley had possibly left with 32-year-old Christopher Matthias Hart, a man who lived near her home and was on parole for second-degree assault. Friends reported that Ashley had made a phone call after a few hours at the pool and was then seen getting into a vehicle. The vehicle was believed to be a gray 1995 Pontiac Bonneville with Missouri license plates 377MPY. It was suggested that they might have been heading to California or Oregon. A few days after she was last seen, a family member of Hart's reported seeing him and Ashley together at his house and stated they were planning to go to Oregon.
Two months after Ashley's disappearance, Christopher Hart was arrested in Olympia, Washington, on unrelated charges. He had been staying with a cousin in the area, who reported that he had not seen Ashley or heard Hart mention her. There was no sign of Ashley or the Pontiac Bonneville she was believed to be traveling in. Hart has been uncooperative with investigators regarding Ashley's whereabouts. Despite a reported but unconfirmed sighting of Ashley in St. Joseph in September 2004, her case remains unsolved. Ashley left behind all her personal belongings, including her three cats and medication for bipolar disorder. Although she had a history of running away, a previous incident in 2001 lasted only a day before she returned home on her own. The disappearance of Ashley Martinez is a case filled with troubling questions, leaving her family searching for answers for two decades.Last Seen: Jul 6, 2004
