The Bizarre Disappearance Of Martha Lambert. Was Her Brother Involved?

Martha Jean Lambert

Martha was the youngest of three children born to Howard and Margaret Lambert on March 26th, 1973, in Elkton, Florida.

She was blonde, short for her age, and reportedly feisty beyond her size. She seemed ready for anything. She was also kind and could be shy at times. Martha was a friendly girl and loved to spend time at friends houses. She liked to eat fried potatoes and spaghetti, liked country music, and liked soccer. Martha enjoyed attending Church and liked school. 

Neighbors said that she was often dirty, her father was an alcoholic and there was a lot of loud fighting at their home. The Lambert children had been in foster care before due to child abuse, and her brothers had previously run away. Despite all of this Martha loved her family. She was the peacekeeper between her two older brothers, David and Raymond,  and she got along with them. Martha enjoyed spending time with her mother who referred to Martha as her "best friend". 

There are many differing reports to the timeline of events leading up to Martha's disappearance, so i will try to tell her story the best i can. 

Martha and her family lived in a trailer on Kerri Lynn Road off Holmes Boulevard. It was Wednesday, November 27th, 1987, the day before Thanksgiving, and she was excited because she would be spending the holiday with her family at her grandmother's house.  Martha was a seventh grader at Ketterlinus Junior High School in St. Augustine and she did attend school that day. After school is where it gets muggy.

As far as i can gather, Martha went to a friend's house after school and and then sometime later she went to a gathering at the neighbors with her mom. At some point, Martha told her mom that she'd be back in 5 minutes. That was the last time she'd ever see or hear from her daughter.

When Martha didn't return, Margaret went looking for her. As she approached her house, David walked out laughing. When asked, he wouldn't tell his mother why. That bothered Margaret.

Whatever happened that night, most sources claim that Martha was last seen at 7:30 p.m. walking away from her home.

Martha was reported missing at 3:00 am on November 28th when no one could find her. Authorities began searching for her immediately, but they were treating her disappearance as a runaway. Margaret stated that, despite the problems at home, her daughter would never run away, nor would she enter the car of anyone, even that of a friend, without permission. 

Authorities questioned everyone in the area. Some neighbors reported that they had seen a suspicious green van being driven in the area.

Raymond had been at a church gathering that night. David on the other hand, he was unaccounted for for some of the time. Police believed that 14-year-old David knew more than he was letting on. He gave varying accounts regarding when he last saw his sister. The first he said was that he’d seen her get into a black vehicle, yet no evidence was found to point to this being true. He later stated that Martha had left home after dinner and refused to tell him where she was going. Lastly, he told investigators that he’d last seen her walking to the L’il Champs convenience store, located on State Road 207.

Sometime after Martha disappeared, Margaret received a call from a little girl telling her "Mom, i'm ok." However, Margaret said that the girl's voice didn't sound like Martha's.

After time went on, authorities no longer considered Martha a runaway and now believe she has met foul play.

After Martha disappeared, the fighting only got worse between her parents and they got divorced. Martha's dad passed away some time ago. According to Margaret, both of Martha's brother's were devastated when she didn't come home. They both have been in and out of trouble with the law. Raymond goes by a different name now.

In 2000, David confessed to killing Martha after he was arrested for passing a bad check. According to him, he’d buried her body at Coquina mine on Holmes Boulevard that was known locally as “The Pits." Her remains were not found and there was not enough evidence to charge David. 

In 2009, David called detectives and confessed that on November 27th, 1985, he and Martha left home because their parents got into a fight over burned turkey. They went to a Lil Champs Convenience store, David apparently had over $20 with him. Martha spent a little over $4 and gave him the change. He then stated that he and Martha went to the abandoned Florida Memorial College to play. David stated that he and Martha got into a fight because Martha wanted more money. Martha slapped David across the face and in response he pushed her. He pushed her so hard the she fell onto the ground and hit her head on a piece of steel. When David realized what had happened, he pulled Martha up and noticed a large hole in the back of her head and blood was pouring out. He called for help, but no one apparently heard him. Then, using the broken piece of a road sign, he dug a 3-foot makeshift grave and placed Martha in the hole. He returned home.

According to police, David was overwhelmed with grief and emotion upon sharing this statement. When asked why he hadn’t informed his parents of what happened, he shared he had been scared they would kill him.

Investigators searched and searched for Martha’s body in the area where the Florida Memorial College once stood, but were unable to locate any remains, despite cadaver dogs hinting at something. In the mid-1990's, the college had been excavated for a planned Holmes Boulevard widening project, so it was believed Martha's remains were mixed in with the debris.

Margaret has never believed what David had said to be true, as he was known to make up stories in order to get attention. She believes that a non family member is responsible and that Martha was abducted from outside her home. She at one point in time believed that David might have witnessed something he couldn't talk about. That maybe someone threatened him. 

David recanted, stating that he’d only told the police what they wanted to hear. He also shared he had emotional and mental problems, and that he didn’t know what happened to his sister. However, investigators believe his story to be true, due to his emotional response during the confession.

David was a minor at the time of Martha’s disappearance and the fact there was a statute of limitations on manslaughter in 1985, police did not file any charges against him. They have since said the case is closed, but are willing to reopen it if any new information or evidence comes to light.

Martha was last seen wearing either a matching two-piece bathing suit or a short-sleeve sundress. At the time of her disappearance she was described as 4’5″ tall and 70 pounds, with blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair. She had a birthmark on the front of her right thigh and one on her upper left chest, and her upper front teeth slightly protruded.

Currently, her case is classified as endangered missing. If alive, she would be 46 years old.

If you have any information regarding the case, you can contact the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at 904-824-8304.