Missing Va. man’s remains found in drainage canal in N.C.

KNOTTS ISLAND, N.C. (TCN) — A missing man’s remains have been positively identified several months after a hunter discovered the body in a drainage canal.

According to the Aware Foundation, 42-year-old Martrell “Andre” Lamar was last seen by his family in June 2024, when he was living with his girlfriend on Knotts Island. On July 2, he reportedly called his mother and said he and his girlfriend got into an argument and that someone was “coming to pick her up.” He walked to a convenience store in the area but was not seen or heard from again. The Aware Foundation said it was “out of character for Martrell not to be in contact with his mother.”

Several months later, in November, Virginia Beach Police Department investigators arrested Lamar’s girlfriend, Ashley Walton, on charges of concealment of a dead body and accessory after the fact to homicide.

The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that a hunter in Pasquotank County contacted law enforcement Dec. 2 after locating human remains in a drainage canal. A preliminary investigation determined the remains were those of a Black male between 37 and 72 years old, but most likely in his 40s.

The North Carolina State Crime Lab compared samples from the scene with those of family members of missing people and identified the remains as Lamar’s on March 4.

The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation said the Virginia Beach Police Department is leading the case. A second suspect, identified by WAVY-TV as Antwaine Branch, is also in custody in connection with Lamar’s disappearance and death.

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