About halfway through our first season we realized that the cases we had covered had also been cases that were, for the most part, covered in depth by the media. While researching we came across thousands of cases that we had never heard of, and also had received far less media attention. Many of these cases were unsolved and in most loved ones or police were asking the public for help. This is when we decided to end our episodes with a cold case to highlight in some small way the victims of these unsolved crimes.
One of the first cases we came across while researching the murders perpetrated by Cary Stayner was the murder of Veronica Martinez near Cool, CA in 1992. After Stayner was captured police around the state looked through their cold case files to see if the possibility that these unsolved cases might involve Stayner. Several cases popped out as possibilities. They tended to be cases where the victim was murdered, or found murdered in the wilderness, and in the general vicinity of places that Stayner was known to have been or traveled. While none of these cases have ever been linked to Stayner through any direct evidence they do highlight how little attention the victims received, especially in contrast to the murders of Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong.
Conversely, there were only a handful of articles on the murder of Veronica Martinez and we were unable to find a photo of her. She hasn't been forgotten by the people who love and miss her and police need information from the public to help solve this awful crime.
Veronica Martinez was only 19 years old when she was last seen in Sacramento, CA on January 27, 1992. On that day, Veronica had her friend drop her off at a Pak N'Save grocery store on Florin Rd and told them she would have her brother pick her up when she was done. Martinez never returned. Her family filed a missing persons report on January 30, 1992 in Cool, CA, a small town 40 miles outside Sacramento.
At the time Veronica Martinez was a mother of two, with one on the way. In 1992 her children were 2 and 4 years old and were not with her when she disappeared. When she was last seen she was wearing a white sweater and red pants. She is of Hispanic descent, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 130 pounds.
On March 7, 1992, 11 days after disappearing, Veronica Martinez' body was found off Hwy 49 between Auburn and Placerville in El Dorado County. Depending on where the body was found this was anywhere from 35-60 minutes away from where she was last seen. Her body was found by a man who was collecting bottles on the side of Hwy 49, a mainly rural road throughout the area. Martinez was placed near "Cool Cave" and at the bottom of a steep ravine in heavy brush. She was nude, except for a bra, wrapped in plastic and her head had been decapitated.
Police believe that Veronica Martinez may have been alive and held for a period of time before being found. Her autopsy showed she had been deceased for 7-10 days and her body was badly decomposed. It is not believed she was sexually assaulted. Police do not know what Veronica Martinez' cause of death was.
The search for whomever murdered Veronica Martinez is ongoing. As this case wasn't widely covered, we know very little about Martinez. She was a mother of two and was pregnant with her third child. She worked as a waitress in Sacramento to provide for her family. She and her loved ones deserve answers and justice.
If you have any information about the murder of Veronica Martinez please contact the El Dorado County Cold Case Task Force by phone at 530-621-4590 or by email at coldcasetaskforce@ecdgov.us
For more information:
"Sheriff Looking into Link in Women's Murders." (1992 Mar 15). The Press Tribune, A-2.
"Autopsy on Headless Body Inconclusive (Police Digest)." (1992 June 16). The Press Tribune, A-2.
KXTV Staff. (2017 Sept 27). "Cold Case Homicides that Haunt the Greater Sacramento Area." ABC 10; available at: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/cold-case-homicides-that-haunt-the-greater-sacramento-area/477359931
At the time Veronica Martinez was a mother of two, with one on the way. In 1992 her children were 2 and 4 years old and were not with her when she disappeared. When she was last seen she was wearing a white sweater and red pants. She is of Hispanic descent, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 130 pounds.
On March 7, 1992, 11 days after disappearing, Veronica Martinez' body was found off Hwy 49 between Auburn and Placerville in El Dorado County. Depending on where the body was found this was anywhere from 35-60 minutes away from where she was last seen. Her body was found by a man who was collecting bottles on the side of Hwy 49, a mainly rural road throughout the area. Martinez was placed near "Cool Cave" and at the bottom of a steep ravine in heavy brush. She was nude, except for a bra, wrapped in plastic and her head had been decapitated.
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| Veronica Martinez was found along Hwy 49 between Placerville & Auburn via Google Maps |
The search for whomever murdered Veronica Martinez is ongoing. As this case wasn't widely covered, we know very little about Martinez. She was a mother of two and was pregnant with her third child. She worked as a waitress in Sacramento to provide for her family. She and her loved ones deserve answers and justice.
If you have any information about the murder of Veronica Martinez please contact the El Dorado County Cold Case Task Force by phone at 530-621-4590 or by email at coldcasetaskforce@ecdgov.us
For more information:
"Sheriff Looking into Link in Women's Murders." (1992 Mar 15). The Press Tribune, A-2.
"Autopsy on Headless Body Inconclusive (Police Digest)." (1992 June 16). The Press Tribune, A-2.
KXTV Staff. (2017 Sept 27). "Cold Case Homicides that Haunt the Greater Sacramento Area." ABC 10; available at: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/cold-case-homicides-that-haunt-the-greater-sacramento-area/477359931
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