Heavy/Army Specialist and Paratrooper Enrique Roman-Martinez.
Enrique Roman-Martinez, a 21-year-old California man and military paratrooper, went missing May 22 on a camping trip with other soldiers and his remains were found May 29, according to USA Today.
Roman-Marinez’s family has demanded to know what happened to him and why his body was found “dismembered.” The Army has said it is investigating the incident as a homicide and is offering a reward for any information that leads to the arrest of those involved with his murder.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Roman-Martinez Was A Gamer with An Adventurer’s Spirit
According to his Facebook page, Roman-Martinez’s favorite quote was “Fear does nothing but slow you down.”
Under professional skills, he wrote “life” and “video games.” He also posted about video games, such a video of his first-ever Forntite squad solo game.
He also proudly displayed his job as U.S. Army 42A. On his birthday, August 24, 2017, he asked people to donate to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. MDMA has been studied and successfully used in treatments of PTSD.
Roman-Martinez, who listed Bruno Mars, Selena Gomez and Enrique Iglesias as some of his favorite musicians, had a few nicknames, including “Sir Roman,” “Enrique The Roman” and “Hippie.” Another one of his nicknames was a derivative of Enrique, “Kike” (pronounced Kee-kay and not to be confused with the Jewish slur). His about statement said, “i’m kike :D get to know me… or not. its fine with me, but if i want to.. let me put a smile on your face.”
2. Roman-Martinez Was A Paratrooper And Human Resource Specialist
According to the Army Times, Martinez was a human resource specialist who was stationed at Fort Bragg and was a member of the 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Brigade Combat Team and 82nd Airborne Division. As a paratrooper, his responsibilities would have included parachuting onto scenes to eliminate enemies or bring supplies to his fellow soldiers fighting on the ground.
Roman-Martinez and his sisters grew up with a single mother working two jobs, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
Griselda, his sister, said that he joined the army at the age of 17, hoping it would teach him discipline, responsibility and could be an avenue for him to attend college. The family didn’t really want him to go but supported him nonetheless. “We didn’t want him to go,” she said. “He was set on it. He thought it would be good for him.”
Roman-Martinez joined the Army in September of 2016, went to Georgia‘s Fort Benning to attend airborne school and was assigned to Fort Bragg as a paratrooper in March of 2017, ABC-11 reported.
The Amry reported that Roman-Martinez, as a paratrooper, received the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Army Parachutist Badge.
3. Roman-Martinez Went Missing On A Camping Trip with Other Soldiers
Army CID Spokesperson Chris Grey said that the Army is treating the case as a homicide investigation.
ABC News reported that Roman-Martinez was camping at North Carolina’s South Core Banks over the Memorial Day weekend with seven other soldiers. According to the Army, he was last seen at a campsite near Mile Marker 46.
The Cape Lookout National Seashore page sent out a Facebook post asking people, “Did you see this young man on the Cape or perhaps give him a ride off the island? He walked away from his friends very early on Saturday morning without water or other supplies and has not been seen since. His friends and family have become concerned as they have not been able to contact him.”
In an updated post, the Cape Lookout page added an update, asking if people saw “a white/silver Jeep Wrangler with 2 young men standing on the outside step rails while it drove at a high rate of speed south down the beach? The Jeep would have been followed by a bright blue Ford Ranger pickup. If you saw this pair of vehicles driving around, especially with the two young men hanging on the side of the Jeep, on Friday or Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, would you please get in touch with our Park Rangers.”
The Army Times reported that the Army dispatched a Coast Guard helicopter and marine patrol boats to check the waters, allowed other volunteer paratroopers to help in the initial stages of the search and also elicited help from National Park Service Rangers, but did not find Roman-Martinez for days.
4. The Family Said He Disappeared And Died Under Suspicious Circumstances
According to ABC News, an “unidentified person” called 911 at around 7 p.m. on May 23, a day after Roman-Martinez was last seen. The caller told the dispatcher that they had last seen him wearing blue shorts and no shirt at midnight 19 hours before calling. ABC-7 reported that they called said, “So we all went to bed at 12:03. That’s when we all decided to go to bed and that is the last time we saw him.”
Roman-Martinez’s remains were found, having washed up on Shackleford Banks Island in a dismembered state, the Army reported; his body was identified using dental records.
However, the family has questioned whether Roman-Martinez would simply walk off in his own without his phone and wallet, which were later found at the campsite, ABC News reported, and his sister noted that he wouldn’t have walked out alone into the middle night of the night without his glasses.
“Because my brother can’t see without his glasses, so for him to walk out in the middle of the night without his glasses, it’s not likely,” she said. “He can’t see, where would he go?”
His sister also demanded to know why his body was found dismembered, telling ABC-7, “It was so cruel what they did to him,” Griselda Martinez said. “Why did they have to do that to him? He’s already gone. Why did they have to go the extra step to do this to him?”
The Army has offered condolences to the family. “Our sympathies are with his family, friends, and fellow paratroopers — especially his mother and sister who flew from California to be here,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Scotty Autin said.
5. Roman-Martinez’s Family Said They Believe Someone Knows What Happened To Him
A change.org petition has also been started called “Justice For Enrique Roman Martinez,” and it has garnered more than 13,000 signatures of its 15,000 signature goal. “Another Young Hispanic Soldier, SPC Enrique Roman Martinez was brutally murdered by Soldiers,” the petition began:
His partial remains were recovered after a week after they washed up on a beach near Cape Lookout but no arrests have been made despite obvious discrepancies in the stories with him. Worse yet, every one of the soldiers were with Enrique that weekend we’re from the same Army unit, 37th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Bragg. You’ve rallied justice for PFC Guillén, now i’m begging you to rally justice for SPC Roman.
The family has also created a Facebook Page, “Justice for Enrique Roman-Martinez,” to bring attention to his case and demand answers about what happened.
The Army is currently offering a $25,000 reward for any information, the Fayetteville Observer reported. They also said they are releasing very little information to maintain “the integrity” of the investigation. Any information can be sent through the Army’s tip submission website linked here or by calling 254-495-7767.
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