3 key details about armed man killed after breaching Mar-a-Lago's secure perimeter
2. Suspect’s family had reported him missing
Martin, who was from North Carolina, reportedly purchased a shotgun while driving south, The Associated Press reports. A box of weapons was later discovered in his car, according to U.S. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
The suspect’s mother, Melissa Martin, had asked for help on social media in finding her son before the incident at Mar-a-Lago, The New York Times notes. The mother shared an image of a poster online with information about her son and details about his vehicle, a 2013 silver Volkswagen Tiguan.
The poster also indicated that the last known communication from Austin Martin occurred at 7:51 p.m. on Saturday.
In a statement this week, the Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina confirmed that a relative of Martin approached a deputy at approximately 1:38 a.m. on Sunday at a local business, and reported him missing. The 21-year-old was then entered into a national missing person database, the sheriff’s department reported.
“Following that report, federal authorities informed the Sheriff’s Office that they are conducting an active investigation in Florida involving Martin,” the department stated. “At their request, the missing person case information has been turned over to federal investigators.”
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office also said that it “had no prior history involving Martin before the missing person report,” and it also confirmed that it’s not involved in the Florida investigation.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
