20 Year Old Missing After Night in Iowa City

[McLovin32]

Didn't see a thread on this. Seems like an odd situation that probably won't have a happy ending. The kid came to Iowa City to visit some friends, phone died while out partying, and now nobody has seen him since 1AM on Saturday morning.

UPDATE: Iowa City PD, family continue search for missing 20-year-old Cristian Martinez​

Paris Barraza
Iowa City Press-Citizen

• Iowa City Police searched the Iowa River
• Jerry Martinez, Cristian's brother, said he usually stays the night in Iowa City when visiting friends. He never returned Sunday
• A candlelight vigil will be held at 5 p.m. tonight at the Iowa City Ped Mall

More than a dozen family members and friends of 20-year-old Cristian Martinez, the Muscatine man who has been missing since Saturday, gathered for a search party in Iowa City Monday evening.
Martinez, according to Iowa City Police Department, was last seen in the area of Harrison Street in Iowa City around 12:56 a.m. April 15.
Jerry Martinez, 27, the older brother of Cristian, was at Open Heartland Monday evening, which hosted friends, family and associates of the Martinez family as they prepared to pass out flyers around downtown Iowa City.
“I'm not trying to think negative, trying to find the positive outcome as of right now,” Jerry Martinez said. Jerry he texted his brother around 10 a.m. Saturday morning, asking if he had a good evening. He didn’t get the quick response he normally gets from his younger brother.
Cristian had gone to Iowa City to hang out with friends, something that he doesn’t often do, according to Jerry.
Jerry said he called his brother and realized his phone was dead.

That’s when he became concerned, checking to see if his mother had heard anything in addition to checking with Cristian’s friends.
Cristian’s friends believed he had returned home to Muscatine, Jerry said. Cristian would typically stay the night during previous visits and return home in the morning.
Members of Monday evening’s search party passed out flyers in downtown Iowa City featuring Cristian’s photo and information about where he was last seen.


Jerry said he and Cristian's loved ones are spreading the word of his brother’s disappearance in an effort to gather tips.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa City Police have conducted search efforts on the Iowa River, while Iowa City Fire Department assisted with a search of Ralston Creek, Lee Hermiston, public information officer for ICPD, said in an email to the Press-Citizen.

Hermiston did not say whether Iowa City Police believe there are other people involved in Martinez’s disappearance.
Martinez’s phone had died earlier in the evening and his loved ones were unable to reach him, Iowa City police mentioned in a previous release.
Persons with information on Martinez' whereabouts are asked to contact police at 319-356-5275.
A candle light vigil and prayer will be held for Cristian at 5 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Pedestrian Mall.

UPDATE: Iowa City PD, family continue search for missing 20-year-old Cristian Martinez

Iowa City PD has searched the Iowa River A candlelight vigil is set for tonight at the Ped Mall

www.press-citizen.com

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

how dare you and the rest of the media posting this type of stuff. He’s not white and we only care to look for white kids.

On a more serious note, seems like an odd situation as he didn’t go out much and he seems to have just disappeared or no one is coming forward with any video they may have of him

 

[ThorneStockton]

^^^WTF?!^^^


Without having any idea of the thoroughness of the Iowa River search, I'll still bet on the river.

 

[MitchLL]

Unfortunately, the Iowa River might be involved.

Edit....like minds.

 

[markfromj]

He’s not white…

How do you know this?

 

[McLovin32]

^^^WTF?!^^^


Without having any idea of the thoroughness of the Iowa River search, I'll still bet on the river.

Yup. The more time that goes by, the more likely it is that he's in the river somewhere.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

How do you know this?

Well he looks Hispanic but I guess maybe he could classify as being a white person.
My bad

 

[Dr. Spaceman]

In the early to mid 90s there was a kid that was walking back to the dorms drunk and tried to jump from one bridge to the other on Burlington. His body didn't turn up until weeks later if I remember correctly.

 

[torbee]

A bit odd the media stories didn't mention what if any bars/restaurants etc. he'd been to on the prior night.

There are CCTV cameras all over downtown and campus. Kid has to show up on some of them unless he was in residential neighborhoods the entire time.

 

[McLovin32]

A bit odd the media stories didn't mention what if any bars/restaurants etc. he'd been to on the prior night.

There are CCTV cameras all over downtown and campus. Kid has to show up on some of them unless he was in residential neighborhoods the entire time.

I had read somewhere that he was last seen around Bardot Iowa, which apparently is a bar that I've never heard of before.

 

[GOHOX69]

I had read somewhere that he was last seen around Bardot Iowa, which apparently is a bar that I've never heard of before.

I've been there. It's rarely open and prides itself to be hipster and dooshy all at the same time. I went for a catered event so the food and drinks were decent but no idea if Bardot actually was involved or only provided space. Crowd was definitely hipster dooshy.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I had read somewhere that he was last seen around Bardot Iowa, which apparently is a bar that I've never heard of before.

That was Firewater from like 08-11ish, a wannabe and much trashier attempt at a Coyote Ugly type place. I lived above it in 09-10, and participated in some of the trashiness. I think it turned into Players then into Bardot shortly after.

 

[McLovin32]

That was Firewater from like 08-11ish, a wannabe and much trashier attempt at a Coyote Ugly type place. I lived above it in 09-10, and participated in some of the trashiness. I think it turned into Players then into Bardot shortly after.

Ahhhhh okay, Firewater rings a bell for sure.

 

[Nole Lou]

It is just crazy how frequently (relatively) this happens with young men after a night of drinking, and how frequently they are never found.

They frequently become "unsolved mysteries" that linger in the true crime community for years or decades. I don't think there is usually much mystery about it. My two favorite cliches from those discussions are always:

"Family says he was only a moderate drinker, and would never drink enough to be incapacitated or have impaired judgement."

Really? Somehow every college kid that disappears, according to his parents, never drinks to excess. That's a hell of crazy coincidence. Never any consideration that a vast majority college kids don't exactly tell their parents how shitfaced they get and how often.

The other is all the commenters that say "Well, he might have been drinking but he wouldn't have done ______ even if he was drunk. I've been drunk, but I would still never _____."

I submit to you that anyone who makes that statement has never gotten DRUNK drunk, or been around people that were. There is exactly ZERO line that is too far to cross, I've lived it and I've seen it. No decision is too stupid.

When I was in my 20s I had a friend that really liked to put it down, and he was also a moody drunk...it was not unusual for him to just walk out of a party or bar in a huff without telling anyone when he was lit. One night we were at a bar, and he took some kind of slight to some remark, and walked out. Which would not have been that notable, except the bar was in downtown Buffalo, and he lived in the far northern suburbs. We went out circling the streets as soon as we noticed he was gone, but couldn't find him - days before cell phones of course.

Found out the next day, he walked 12 miles home over four hours. Crossing many bridges, and many non-pedestrian stretches. If he had met with misadventure and his body was found eight miles away, he would have been on Unsolved Mysteries, because who would be so drunk to be stupid enough to walk 12 miles through the middle of the night. Everyone would be trying to figure out who snatched him and threw him in the river.

Nothing is too stupid when you are drunk enough.

 

[Nole Lou]

I have a pet theory, totally speculative, about what has happened in some of these missing drunk young men cases.

One of the things that is actually pretty common with very drunk people is for them to walk into a house that isn't theirs. Former Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly was the butt of a lot of jokes for walking into someone's house and sitting down on their couch. It actually happens a LOT, likely way more than we hear about.

It isn't unheard of for people to be shot as intruders doing that (and it will probably continue to be more common).

My theory is that is what has happened in some of these cases, but they tried to get into a house or car where illegal activity was going on and are reflexively shot, by someone with a criminal record, and probably an illegal gun. Once it is figured out that it was a drunk and not a threat, the body is disappeared. Sure, if you are a law abiding citizen you would immediately call the police, but who is going to report that to the police if they have a record, a warrant, or will draw a gun charge over it?

 

[torbee]

It is just crazy how frequently (relatively) this happens with young men after a night of drinking, and how frequently they are never found.

They frequently become "unsolved mysteries" that linger in the true crime community for years or decades. I don't think there is usually much mystery about it. My two favorite cliches from those discussions are always:

"Family says he was only a moderate drinker, and would never drink enough to be incapacitated or have impaired judgement."

Really? Somehow every college kid that disappears, according to his parents, never drinks to excess. That's a hell of crazy coincidence. Never any consideration that a vast majority college kids don't exactly tell their parents how shitfaced they get and how often.

The other is all the commenters that say "Well, he might have been drinking but he wouldn't have done ______ even if he was drunk. I've been drunk, but I would still never _____."

I submit to you that anyone who makes that statement has never gotten DRUNK drunk, or been around people that were. There is exactly ZERO line that is too far to cross, I've lived it and I've seen it. No decision is too stupid.

When I was in my 20s I had a friend that really liked to put it down, and he was also a moody drunk...it was not unusual for him to just walk out of a party or bar in a huff without telling anyone when he was lit. One night we were at a bar, and he took some kind of slight to some remark, and walked out. Which would not have been that notable, except the bar was in downtown Buffalo, and he lived in the far northern suburbs. We went out circling the streets as soon as we noticed he was gone, but couldn't find him - days before cell phones of course.

Found out the next day, he walked 12 miles home over four hours. Crossing many bridges, and many non-pedestrian stretches. If he had met with misadventure and his body was found eight miles away, he would have been on Unsolved Mysteries, because who would be so drunk to be stupid enough to walk 12 miles through the middle of the night. Everyone would be trying to figure out who snatched him and threw him in the river.

Nothing is too stupid when you are drunk enough.

When I was in my 20s I got in a fight with a girl at a bar in the District of Rock Island.

And walked back to my house in Bettendorf.

Here is the route on a map:

 

[GOHOX69]

When I was in my 20s I got in a fight with a girl at a bar in the District of Rock Island.

And walked back to my house in Bettendorf.

Here is the route on a map:

That's a long walk hoss.

 

[torbee]

That's a long walk hoss.

Yeah, I want to say it was around 4 hours. And I highly doubt I took as straight and direct a route as I depicted here, lol.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I have a pet theory, totally speculative, about what has happened in some of these missing drunk young men cases.

One of the things that is actually pretty common with very drunk people is for them to walk into a house that isn't theirs. Former Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly was the butt of a lot of jokes for walking into someone's house and sitting down on their couch. It actually happens a LOT, likely way more than we hear about.

It isn't unheard of for people to be shot as intruders doing that (and it will probably continue to be more common).

My theory is that is what has happened in some of these cases, but they tried to get into a house or car where illegal activity was going on and are reflexively shot, by someone with a criminal record, and probably an illegal gun. Once it is figured out that it was a drunk and not a threat, the body is disappeared. Sure, if you are a law abiding citizen you would immediately call the police, but who is going to report that to the police if they have a record, a warrant, or will draw a gun charge over it?

I think it's plausible in the sense that it may have occurred a time or two, but much beyond that is hard to believe.

My first thought is to wonder if there's been any cases where a missing person who was presumed to be very intoxicated was later found shot up and purposefully hidden without any known reason/motive.

Maybe I'm over estimating how difficult it is to disappear a body and how underestimating the motivation to do so.

 

[GOHOX69]

I think it's plausible in the sense that it may have occurred a time or two, but much beyond that is hard to believe.

My first thought is to wonder if there's been any cases where a missing person who was presumed to be very intoxicated was later found shot up and purposefully hidden without any known reason/motive.

Maybe I'm over estimating how difficult it is to disappear a body and how underestimating the motivation to do so.

Getting rid of a human is tough, unless you are the central character on Ozark. A cremation retort helps

 

[ThorneStockton]

When I was in my 20s I got in a fight with a girl at a bar in the District of Rock Island.

And walked back to my house in Bettendorf.

Here is the route on a map:

Drunk enough to make that long walk, but with it enough to take a sensible route. Bravo.

 

[SoDakHawk]

When I was in my 20s I got in a fight with a girl at a bar in the District of Rock Island.

And walked back to my house in Bettendorf.

Here is the route on a map:

Yep. Been there. Got extremely sh*tfaced bar hopping in Sioux City and somehow ended up by myself at a bar on the northside of town. Walked home across Sioux City to the east side of town, about 6-7 miles. Took me about 3-4 hours as I was taking two steps sideway, one step forward. Would also stop and sit at bus stop benches to rest. Crossed highways and the railroad depot, which was probably the most dangerous part, the railroad tracks and industrial areas, drunk in the middle of the night.

Pre-cell phone, pre-internet, pre-Uber, hell, pre-taxi cab. Who calls a taxi in Sioux City?

 

[lucas80]

I've been there. It's rarely open and prides itself to be hipster and dooshy all at the same time. I went for a catered event so the food and drinks were decent but no idea if Bardot actually was involved or only provided space. Crowd was definitely hipster dooshy.

Never heard of it. Is it on Harrison? That’s a short, hilly street. One end is the jail, and one end terminates at Ralston Creek near Gilbert? I don’t think he made it to the river, not going past the jail. There are cameras all over that building and lot.

 

[McLovin32]

Nothing is too stupid when you are drunk enough.

This might be the truest thing ever said on here.

 

[DeangeloVickers]

In the early to mid 90s there was a kid that was walking back to the dorms drunk and tried to jump from one bridge to the other on Burlington. His body didn't turn up until weeks later if I remember correctly.

Was just telling my youngest this exact story last week while we were fishing below the damn. This happened my freshman year. Always made me a little uneasy stumbling back to Slater after a late night after that.

 

[Fan In Black]

sad story. hope he is OK.

 

[veryold]

I assume they have checked his normal route to Muscatine. His car could be down a deep ravine.

 

[lucas80]

My s***faced long walk story: I was in Des Moines for Drake Relays, and got separated from the gang at Peggy’s? I think that’s the bar by Drake. My buddy that I was staying with lived off of exit 7 of I-235, on Grand Avenue. I started wandering aimlessly looking for a taxi, and then saw that I was on Grand! Awesome, head west and I’m golden, right? It was dawn by the time I straggled in, and at least once I think Grand ends for a block or two, then restarts? No clue. I remember some seedy neighborhoods, and cops cruising past me slowly a few times. Probably had a pool going on me to see if I made it.
Early 90s, so no cell phone or ride shares to be found. My pants were ripped and I had a lot of mud on me, but by God I kept plugging along.

 

[Nole Lou]

I think it's plausible in the sense that it may have occurred a time or two, but much beyond that is hard to believe.

My first thought is to wonder if there's been any cases where a missing person who was presumed to be very intoxicated was later found shot up and purposefully hidden without any known reason/motive.

Maybe I'm over estimating how difficult it is to disappear a body and how underestimating the motivation to do so.

I'm not aware of any body ever being found like that I don't think.

I agree that disappearing a body is hard...but on the other hand, by default in all of these mystery cases the body was disappeared, by accident or not. While it isn't easy to get rid of the body, you'd think that someone intentionally trying to disappear the body would have at least as good a chance of someone dying accidentally and their body never being found.

While I agree it's easy to underestimate how hard it is to disappear a body, I think we also simultaneously overestimate how easy it is to find a body. It can be very difficult, even roughly knowing the area it is in. And especially so in a body of water.

 

[Chishawk1425]

Didn't see a thread on this. Seems like an odd situation that probably won't have a happy ending. The kid came to Iowa City to visit some friends, phone died while out partying, and now nobody has seen him since 1AM on Saturday morning.

UPDATE: Iowa City PD, family continue search for missing 20-year-old Cristian Martinez​

Paris Barraza
Iowa City Press-Citizen

• Iowa City Police searched the Iowa River
• Jerry Martinez, Cristian's brother, said he usually stays the night in Iowa City when visiting friends. He never returned Sunday
• A candlelight vigil will be held at 5 p.m. tonight at the Iowa City Ped Mall

More than a dozen family members and friends of 20-year-old Cristian Martinez, the Muscatine man who has been missing since Saturday, gathered for a search party in Iowa City Monday evening.
Martinez, according to Iowa City Police Department, was last seen in the area of Harrison Street in Iowa City around 12:56 a.m. April 15.
Jerry Martinez, 27, the older brother of Cristian, was at Open Heartland Monday evening, which hosted friends, family and associates of the Martinez family as they prepared to pass out flyers around downtown Iowa City.
“I'm not trying to think negative, trying to find the positive outcome as of right now,” Jerry Martinez said. Jerry he texted his brother around 10 a.m. Saturday morning, asking if he had a good evening. He didn’t get the quick response he normally gets from his younger brother.
Cristian had gone to Iowa City to hang out with friends, something that he doesn’t often do, according to Jerry.
Jerry said he called his brother and realized his phone was dead.

That’s when he became concerned, checking to see if his mother had heard anything in addition to checking with Cristian’s friends.
Cristian’s friends believed he had returned home to Muscatine, Jerry said. Cristian would typically stay the night during previous visits and return home in the morning.
Members of Monday evening’s search party passed out flyers in downtown Iowa City featuring Cristian’s photo and information about where he was last seen.


Jerry said he and Cristian's loved ones are spreading the word of his brother’s disappearance in an effort to gather tips.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa City Police have conducted search efforts on the Iowa River, while Iowa City Fire Department assisted with a search of Ralston Creek, Lee Hermiston, public information officer for ICPD, said in an email to the Press-Citizen.

Hermiston did not say whether Iowa City Police believe there are other people involved in Martinez’s disappearance.
Martinez’s phone had died earlier in the evening and his loved ones were unable to reach him, Iowa City police mentioned in a previous release.
Persons with information on Martinez' whereabouts are asked to contact police at 319-356-5275.
A candle light vigil and prayer will be held for Cristian at 5 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Pedestrian Mall.

UPDATE: Iowa City PD, family continue search for missing 20-year-old Cristian Martinez

Iowa City PD has searched the Iowa River A candlelight vigil is set for tonight at the Ped Mall

www.press-citizen.com

Been following on Twitter and sadly agree with your take...

 

[lucas80]

sad story. hope he is OK.

If he is, there is a helluva story to be told.

 

[Nole Lou]

Yep. Been there. Got extremely sh*tfaced bar hopping in Sioux City and somehow ended up by myself at a bar on the northside of town. Walked home across Sioux City to the east side of town, about 6-7 miles. Took me about 3-4 hours as I was taking two steps sideway, one step forward. Would also stop and sit at bus stop benches to rest. Crossed highways and the railroad depot, which was probably the most dangerous part, the railroad tracks and industrial areas, drunk in the middle of the night.

Pre-cell phone, pre-internet, pre-Uber, hell, pre-taxi cab. Who calls a taxi in Sioux City?

My buddy said about 6 miles in he stopped at a 24 diner and had a couple hot dogs, and and made a ruckus. There were a couple cops there eating and he was hoping they would put him in the car, and hopefully take him home, but they just made him leave.

People have no idea how things could be so much different in the "olden days" of a few decades ago. Cabs weren't a thing outside the city center. His literal only other choice besides walking once he got started was to call and wake up his senior citizen mother at 3am.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I was rarely at risk for a river plunge, but if you were going to find my dead body after a night out it would have been on the like ~.75 mile stretch of railroad between the Club Car and the alley in between Dodge and Lucas streets.


I was and still am a lover of trains and I would occasionally catch a ride home on a east bound freight train right outside the CC. They always went very slow, easy hop on, ride across the bridge over Gilbert, through the "yard" a bit, under Dodge and then jump off near the alley and climb up over the fence.

In hindsight, that was fairly stupid.

 

[torbee]

I was rarely at risk for a river plunge, but if you were going to find my dead body after a night out it would have been on the like ~.75 mile stretch of railroad between the Club Car and the alley in between Dodge and Lucas streets.


I was and still am a lover of trains and I would occasionally catch a ride home on a east bound freight train right outside the CC. They always went very slow, easy hop on, ride across the bridge over Gilbert, through the "yard" a bit, under Dodge and then jump off near the alley and climb up over the fence.

In hindsight, that was fairly stupid.

Yeah, we did that once and ended up in f----ing Marengo!

Thank God there was a fertilizer plant there where they uncoupled some cars, otherwise we might have made it to Denver.

 

[MitchLL]

Yeah, we did that once and ended up in f----ing Marengo!

Thank God there was a fertilizer plant there where they uncoupled some cars, otherwise we might have made it to Denver.

You would have died from the odor passing through Ames before you got to Denver.

Cool story, though.

 

[pickr374]

22 year old up here (Bryce Borca) in the cities (Eagan) went to a Halloween party, got dropped by an uber/lyft with some buddies...his friends turn to walk home...he did the same and the last text they got from him was that he was lost and hammered drunk...I believe the last known location that they pinged his cell phone was that he was in the middle of some swamp....they still haven't found him....and they've searched a 1,000 acres or something crazy like that.

I included his name in the event somebody wanted to google his name and get the background story....there seems as if there has been a lot of dudes up here in the cities, down into Stillwater, and Hudson, WI that have gone missing after bar close and are found in the river. It was happening so frequently in the early 2000s that people thought there was a serial killer on the loose targeting 19-22 year old males.

Creepy for sure.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

A buddy and I tried doing the 3 a.m. walk from Ames to Boone. We had to go in the ditch every time a car came from behind us to avoid a public intox. Made it half way and then said "f this", and started calling for someone to come pick us up.

 

[GOHOX69]

Never heard of it. Is it on Harrison? That’s a short, hilly street. One end is the jail, and one end terminates at Ralston Creek near Gilbert? I don’t think he made it to the river, not going past the jail. There are cameras all over that building and lot.

Is right on Gilbert street, one street off from the sanctuary.

 

[GOHOX69]

I was rarely at risk for a river plunge, but if you were going to find my dead body after a night out it would have been on the like ~.75 mile stretch of railroad between the Club Car and the alley in between Dodge and Lucas streets.


I was and still am a lover of trains and I would occasionally catch a ride home on a east bound freight train right outside the CC. They always went very slow, easy hop on, ride across the bridge over Gilbert, through the "yard" a bit, under Dodge and then jump off near the alley and climb up over the fence.

In hindsight, that was fairly stupid.

There's a guy I know who works at the medical school who is missing two legs below the knees due to that strategy.

 

[Masterprime]

Anybody think he might be METHing around in some traphouse somewhere, or possibly overdosed on some shit?