Eugene Wade Martin

• Missing Since 08/12/1984
• Missing From Des Moines, Iowa
• Classification Non-Family Abduction
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 08/17/1970 (53)
• Age 13 years old
• Height and Weight 5'0, 110 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description A gray and white striped midriff t-shirt with red sleeves, blue jeans and blue Trax sneakers with white diagonal stripes.
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Eugene has a scar on his right knee. One of his wrists has a healed fracture. His nickname is Gene.

Details of Disappearance

Eugene was last seen between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. on August 12, 1984 in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. He was preparing to start delivering his morning newspaper route at the time. He normally delivered the papers with his older stepbrother, but his stepbrother was not with him that day.

Witnesses saw Eugene talking to a man between 5:00 and 5:15 a.m. at southwest 12th Street and Highview Drive. The man is described as clean-cut, and he appeared to be in his thirties. He has never been identified. They were reportedly engaged in friendly conversation.

Eugene's route manager called his family at approximately 7:15 a.m. to report that Eugene's newspaper sack had not been retrieved from the corner of southwest 14th and Highview Streets. The manager called the family back 15 minutes later around 7:30 a.m. and reported that the papers were still unclaimed. Eugene's father then called the authorities. Eugene has not been seen nor heard from again.

Eugene disappeared from the same vicinity where John Gosch was last seen in 1982. It is not known if the two cases are related, but both boys were newspaper carriers in the Des Moines area.

Eugene enjoyed football, fishing, skating, watching television and playing video games at the time of his disappearance. His father and stepmother divorced sometime after he went missing, and now both of his parents are deceased. His case remains unsolved.