Jace Martin, a Destrehan resident, was last seen on Feb. 11, 2020. The 30-year-old father of two left his Ormond Meadows Drive residence that night on foot at around 8 p.m. after an apparent fight with his girlfriend Elizabeth Elfer.
He has not been seen or heard from since.
The story of Martin’s disappearance found a national stage last month when it was discussed on Unfound – a missing persons podcast concentrated on interviewing family, friends, and reporters who are closest to the case.
Unfound podcast host Ed Dentzel interviewed Victoria Martin, Jace’s sister, in the two-hour episode. During the episode Victoria detailed her brother’s past mental health and addiction struggles, as well as new things the family has learned about the case.
“I was actually a little hesitant and a little scared to be featured on a podcast and have his story out there,” Victoria told the Herald Guide. “I was really scared of backlash, but I’ve actually received a lot of positive messages … a lot of people have reached out.”
In the podcast Victoria said that the night of her brother’s disappearance Elfer picked Jace up from work. Sometime after they arrived home, Victoria said, Elfer and Jace got into an argument about something that Elfer had seen on Jace’s phone. Jace left their residence with a backpack and bag of clothes.
That night Jace’s phone last pinged near the East Bank Bridge Park, Victoria said, but his backpack and bag of clothes were never found.
Victoria said after Jace’s disappearance she was contacted via phone by Josh Cook. Jace had warned Victoria in the past about Cook, and Victoria said that on their call Cook seemed angry about Jace’s disappearance. The next month, Victoria said, Cook was found dead in Tangipahoa Parish. Cook’s father, Victoria said, later went to authorities there and showed them a text that his son had sent him. In the text Cook said he, and others, were responsible for Jace’s death.
“I know my mom takes it as fact … she takes it as truth,” Victoria said. “I waver. I kind of go back and forth. I feel like he knew more than he was leading onto.”
There are other suspicious details of Jace’s disappearance, Victoria said on the podcast, including the fact that in July 2020 Jace’s phone pinged at the resident he shared with Elfer.
No matter the details of the case or if justice is ever served, Victoria said she and her family hopes people never forget the kind of man Jace was.
“I hope they never forget how kind he was … he was so kind to so many people and even sometimes people who didn’t deserve it. He was so funny,” she said. “He was so charismatic. He was a fun person to be around … so kind and funny and talented. Those are the things he should be remembered for – not for mental instability or drug addiction or that he is a missing person. We want him to be remembered for the impact he left on people.”
Victoria said she and her family are still learning all of the ways that Jace impacted people.
“We’re still getting messages from people I’ve never met in states I’ve never been to telling me that he was such a joy to be around or that he was so funny and he was kind,” she said. “He left an impact on people and he didn’t even realize it … we didn’t realize it.”
The Unfound podcast series is available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple podcasts, YouTube, or anywhere else podcasts are streamed.
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