STELLARTON, N.S. - It has been nearly a quarter-century since 13-year-old Kevin Martin walked out of his Stellarton home and never returned.
That fateful day was May 19, 1994.
Martin’s remains were eventually found in November 2000 near a logging road in Burnside and the following year his family were informed that they belonged to Martin. The evidence indicted he was murdered.
“I believe that the system failed Kevin,” said his mother Bonnie Thomas.
On Saturday, she joined other family members and friends to honour Martin at the Stellarton Legion. His family hold similar memorial gatherings for their loved one every year.
Thomas, together with her surviving children Samantha and Danielle, called on anyone with information on Martin’s murder to come forward.
But the family say that authorities have not acted on any information previously received.
Nor do they know why exactly why Martin left home that day, but his mother said that he wanted to fit in with the “cool kids,” similar to many teenagers at that age.
However, Danielle and Samantha also shared the happy memories of their big brother, who attended Sunday School and enjoyed teaching them drill moves he learned as a cadet.
“He taught us how to ride our bike and tie our shoes and took us for walks,” recalled Danielle.
His old Sunday school teacher Clyde Moulton said that he was close with Martin, who often stayed over with himself and his wife on weekends.
Martin also enjoyed weekend getaways and camping trips in the bush.
Moulton described Martin as “very protective of his sisters and [he] dearly loved his mom.”
At Sunday school, his student was a respectful and polite boy who always listened and paid attention during classes.
Later, Moulton led the memorial gathering in prayer for Martin, as well as calling on his murderer or murderers to come forward and confess so that his family could at last have some closure.
