For nearly twenty years, the name Robert Martin was just a file in a drawer and a heavy weight in the hearts of a New Smyrna Beach family. He vanished into the Atlantic in 2006. One minute he was there, the next, the water just... swallowed him.
People around Volusia County talk about the "Party Grounds." It's a reef about 20 miles offshore, famous for its beauty but notorious for its depth and currents. On September 30, 2006, Martin, a 45-year-old condo repairman known as "Bobby," went down for a dive. He surfaced briefly, waved for help, and then slipped under again.
He didn't come back up.
The Coast Guard searched 240 square miles. They found nothing. No body, no bubbles, just an empty ocean. Honestly, it's the kind of thing that keeps local divers up at night. The ocean is big, and it’s very good at keeping secrets.
The Mystery of Robert Martin Found
Fast forward to late 2024 and early 2025. Science finally caught up with the mystery.
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While a mandible—a jawbone—had actually washed up on New Smyrna Beach back in 2007, and some gear was found nearby, the technology of the time couldn't connect the dots. DNA was too degraded. The salt water and the Florida sun had basically chewed through the biological evidence. For a long time, investigators actually suspected foul play. They thought the trauma on the bone meant he’d been murdered.
That was wrong.
Everything changed when the Volusia County Medical Examiner, Dr. James Fulcher, stepped in with a very specific set of skills. Fulcher isn't just a doctor; he’s a deep-sea diver with over 25 years of experience. He looked at the case not just as a pathologist, but as a peer.
Through a state grant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the remains were sent to Othram, a private lab that specializes in "impossible" DNA. They used forensic genetic genealogy to build a profile. By April 2025, they had a match. Robert Martin had finally been found, at least in part.
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Why the Gear Told the Real Story
The most fascinating part of this whole ordeal isn't just the DNA. It's how Dr. Fulcher used his own diving expertise to clear Martin’s name of any "suspicious circumstances."
- Equipment Analysis: Fulcher examined the regulator and the BCD (buoyancy control device) found years prior.
- Environmental Context: He factored in the "Party Grounds" depth—about 80 to 100 feet.
- Physical Evidence: The "trauma" on the jawbone wasn't from a saw or a weapon. It was from the sea.
Basically, the gear showed signs of a specific type of malfunction. When you're that deep, things happen fast. Fulcher realized that Martin’s death was a "textbook" tragic accident. No foul play. No mystery hitman. Just a diver who ran into trouble he couldn't outswim.
Bringing Peace to the Florida Coast
The identification of Robert Martin is actually the 43rd case in Florida solved using these specific genetic genealogy methods. It’s a huge win for cold case units, but it’s a bigger win for the family. Imagine waiting 18 years to know if your loved one was murdered or just lost to the waves.
You’ve probably seen similar stories on YouTube, like those "Adventures with Purpose" videos where they find cars in rivers. This is the ocean version of that. It's more complicated because of the currents and the way salt water destroys evidence, but the closure is the same.
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What can we take away from the Robert Martin case?
- Technology evolves: If you have a cold case in your family, don't give up. DNA tech is lightyears ahead of where it was even five years ago.
- Expertise matters: If Dr. Fulcher hadn't been a diver himself, he might have stuck with the "homicide" theory. Personal experience changes how we see data.
- Nature is indifferent: Even experienced divers like Bobby Martin can get caught in a bad situation.
If you're a diver or someone interested in Florida cold cases, the best thing you can do is stay informed about your local Sheriff's Office "Unidentified Human Remains" programs. Many states, like Florida, now offer grants to re-test old evidence. If you have a missing family member, consider submitting your own DNA to public databases like GEDmatch, which is often how these forensic labs find the "missing branch" in the family tree.
The ocean eventually gave Robert Martin back. It took two decades and a lot of high-tech help, but he’s finally home.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) if you are searching for a lost loved one. Ensure that any DNA samples on file are updated for use in forensic genetic genealogy, as older "STR" profiles often aren't compatible with modern genealogical searches. If you're a diver, always use the "buddy system" and ensure your gear is serviced annually to avoid the type of equipment failure that contributed to this tragedy.