In the spring of 2004, a sense of unease settled over a quiet apartment complex in Romeo, Michigan, as 47-year-old Martin 'Marty' Chance vanished without a trace. On May 14th, he was last seen at his home, but it wasn't for another eleven days that a neighbor's concern prompted a call to the police. The scene that greeted law enforcement was unsettling in its stillness. The door to Marty's apartment was open, with three fans left running, yet there were no indications of a struggle or any form of foul play inside the residence. His truck remained parked in its usual spot in the driveway, a silent testament to a life abruptly paused. The only items missing from the home were the essentials a person would typically carry with them: a wallet, a cell phone, and keys.
Known to his friends and family as a kind and gentle man, Marty's sudden disappearance left a void filled with unanswered questions.
At six feet three inches and around 240 pounds, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, he was a noticeable figure. Distinctive features, including a scar on the right side of his forehead and a tattoo of an eagle on his upper left arm, were provided to the public in the hopes of generating leads. He was reportedly last seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt, jeans with a large-buckled belt, and either boots or sneakers. Friends and family described him as a homebody who enjoyed a quiet life, making his unexplained absence all the more baffling. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance were so devoid of clues that investigators were left with a frustratingly blank slate.
The investigation into Martin Chance's whereabouts has spanned years, yet definitive answers remain elusive. Foul play is suspected in his case, a grim possibility that looms over his family and the community. Despite the passage of time, the hope of finding out what happened to Marty has not been extinguished. Law enforcement has dental X-rays and fingerprints on file, crucial identifiers should any new evidence come to light. The case is a somber reminder of the fragility of life and the enduring pain of not knowing. The quiet street in Romeo, where Marty's truck once sat, holds the memory of a man who seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving behind a legacy of love and a mystery that continues to plead for a resolution.
Martin Miles Chance, known as “Marty,” was a 47-year-old male who was last seen on May 14, 2004, at his apartment in Romeo, Michigan. The final known period of his life unfolded inside the place where he lived, yet the available record contains no witness account explaining when he walked out, where he intended to go, or whether he left with another person. Eleven days later, on May 25, a concerned neighbor reported him missing after noticing that the apartment door had been left open. By then, Martin had vanished without making contact with anyone known to him, and the condition of his home offered an unsettling picture of a departure that appeared sudden and unfinished.
When authorities examined the apartment, they found no obvious evidence of a burglary, robbery, violent confrontation, or forced entry. The door was open, as were the front windows, and three electric fans had been left running inside. Martin’s truck remained parked in the driveway, eliminating the most familiar means by which he might have traveled away from Romeo. Most of his belongings were still present. The only personal items known to be missing were his keys, wallet, and cellular phone, suggesting that he may have expected to leave the apartment for at least a short time. Nothing publicly available indicates that he packed clothing, arranged a long trip, moved his property, or prepared to abandon his home permanently.
Martin was a white man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He stood approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed between 230 and 240 pounds, giving him a large physical presence that someone might have remembered seeing. He had a scar on the right side of his forehead and tattoos on his upper arms or shoulders, including an eagle tattoo. Official records also describe clothing he may have been wearing as jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, a belt with a large buckle, and either boots or sneakers. He was allergic to bee stings, a medical concern that could have placed him in danger if he experienced a severe reaction while away from immediate help. His dental X-rays and fingerprints are available for identification purposes.
The scene inside Martin’s apartment raised more questions than it answered. The open door and windows might suggest that he left casually or expected to return soon, but leaving several fans running and abandoning his truck made his continued absence difficult to explain. His missing wallet and keys could indicate that he voluntarily stepped outside to complete an ordinary errand, visit someone nearby, or enter another person’s vehicle. His missing phone could have provided a record of calls or contacts, but no publicly released information describes any telephone activity that established his destination. Investigators have not disclosed a confirmed later sighting, financial transaction, message, or other evidence demonstrating that Martin established a life elsewhere.
There were no publicly documented signs of foul play in the residence, but the absence of visible violence did not prove that Martin was safe when he left. A person can willingly walk out of a home and encounter danger afterward, and an apartment can remain undisturbed even when something serious occurs elsewhere. Martin may have met someone he knew, accepted transportation, suffered a medical emergency, experienced an accident, or become the victim of a crime after leaving the property. The available evidence does not establish any of those possibilities, and the point at which his ordinary movements became a disappearance remains unknown.
Martin’s case has been classified as an endangered missing-person case, but very few investigative details have been made public. No suspect or person of interest has been officially named, and no arrest has been announced in connection with his disappearance. There is no publicly identified crime scene beyond the unanswered circumstances at his apartment, and investigators have not reported finding his cellular phone, wallet, keys, clothing, or remains. The lack of a confirmed timeline has made it difficult to determine whether Martin left during the day or night, whether anyone saw him near his truck or apartment, or whether the neighbor who reported him missing was the first person to realize how long he had been gone.
The Romeo Village Police Department remains the agency associated with the investigation, which is maintained under case number 04-000299. Martin’s disappearance is also recorded in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System as MP4347. His official case remains published, and no resolution has been reported. The preservation of his fingerprints and dental information gives investigators reliable material for comparisons with unidentified remains, but no publicly announced match has brought an answer to those waiting for him.
For Martin’s loved ones, the most painful part of the case is the absence of a final, understandable sequence of events. His truck was still outside, his possessions remained inside, and the open apartment seemed to be waiting for someone who never returned. The missing wallet, keys, and phone show that Martin likely expected to go somewhere, yet they do not reveal whether he reached that destination or whom he may have encountered along the way. Years of silence have transformed what may have begun as a brief trip away from home into an enduring mystery.
In overview, Martin Miles Chance disappeared from his Romeo apartment on May 14, 2004, and was reported missing by a neighbor eleven days later. His door and front windows were open, three fans remained running, and his truck was still parked in the driveway, while only his keys, wallet, and cellular phone appeared to be missing. There were no visible signs of robbery or violence inside the residence, but Martin never contacted anyone again, no confirmed later sighting has been reported, no suspect has been publicly identified, and the circumstances of his disappearance remain unknown.Last Seen: May 14, 2004
