PASQUOTANK COUNTY, N.C. — A missing Virginia Beach man's skeletal remains were identified in Pasquotank County by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday.
We’re continuing to follow through on the case of Martrell Andre Lamar, as two people sit behind bars in connection to his disappearance.
NCSBI says Lamar’s human remains were found along Sandy Road, a dirt road in Pasquotank County. Authorities say a hunter discovered the remains and reported it to Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office.
Watch: Remains for Martrell Andre Lamar found in Pasquotank County drainage canal, says NCSBI
Neighbors who live on Sandy Road describe the area as a quiet area and say the discovery is disheartening.
"It’s crazy that somebody dumped a body out here," Grant Larabee, a Pasquotank County resident said.
Grant Larabee says his family has owned the Larabee Farm, a grain and cattle farm on sandy road for over 20 years. Larabee's farm is next to where Lamar's human remains were found in a drainage canal.
He says he was on his family farm when the North NCSBI and the East Carolina University Anthropology Department excavated and processed the area.
Watch: Bond denied for Knotts Island woman charged in missing boyfriend’s disappearance
"They had the road blocked off and I saw a police officer sitting there. One of our workers, the next day told me a body had been found, and I saw they ended up blocking off the road the next day," Larabee said.
Lamar was first reported missing on July 2, 2024 — Ashley Walton and Antwaine Branch face charges for concealment of dead body in connection to Lamar's disappearance. Walton is also charged with accessory to a homicide.
Lamar's family says Walton and Lamar were dating before he went missing.
Court documents say Walton told detectives that Branch came to the Pungo Ferry Bridge and shot Lamar. She and Branch loaded Lamar’s body into her car and transported the body to Walton's home in Knotts Island.
Watch: Knotts Island woman charged in disappearance of Martrell Andre Lamar
During the investigation, both Branch and Walton’s cars were seized. Documents go on to say a human remains detection dog located blood on Branch’s car.
On Nov. 20, 2024, police made their first break in the case with Walton’s arrest. A couple of months later, and Branch was arrested on Jan. 24th.
The Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office says evidence suggests Lamar’s human remains had been laying along Sandy Road for around 6 months.
"They had an excavator out here and that’s what they use to dig out remains," Larabee said.
Watch previous coverage: Loved ones of missing Currituck Co. man remember him in candlelight ceremony
News 3's Leondra Head spoke to Lamar’s mother, Debra Freeman earlier this week when authorities announced Lamar's remains were identified.
"When Elizabeth City notified Virginia Beach, I had to do a DNA sample. Because it wasn’t anybody missing in that area and they knew it was several missing people in surrounding cities. I’m just ready for closure and at least I can properly put my son to rest. The way he died was horrific," Freeman said.
