Firefighter’s dedication brings closure to Virginia family after 51 years

LEXINGTON, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — A Virginia family is receiving closure after their loved one disappeared 51 years ago.

Martha Smith Helmick of Bridgewater, Virginia, was last seen in August 1973. She had left Virginia with her sister Flora and family friend John Ed Keyton en route to a family reunion in Dabolt, Kentucky, in a light green 1967 Ford Fairlane.

🔎 MISSING IN KENTUCKY

• See the latest coverage of people missing in Kentucky
• Report a missing person(s) to FOX 56 News

The three never arrived at their destination, and none were heard from or seen again, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System .

However, in 2017, that changed.

During a training exercise, the fire department of Lexington, Kentucky, said crews spotted vehicles on the floor of the Kentucky River using sonar.

“We discovered 5 vehicles that day, one of those vehicles removed was a 1967 Ford Fairlane, which contained the remains of Martha Helmick from Virginia,” said Lexington Fire Department District Chief Chris Warren.

However, the car wasn’t the only thing that led them to identify Martha. They found bones, a purse, and a key to a Bargman trailer, the one Martha lived in.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

• Community leaders fear impact of UK dissolving its Office for Institutional Diversity
• More cameras on the way after arrest in north Lexington
• Ford’s back-scaling EV production will impact Kentucky

“We knew there were so many things, so many things,” added Warren. “We found the key to where Martha lived; it was a trailer; it was a tow behind trailer, which is what she lived in because her house burned down.”

For eight years, every piece of the puzzle pulled Warren closer to the case.

“Something in me switched from not doing this in the capacity of the Lexington Fire Department dive team, and being part of that—it became personal to me, and I wanted to make sure that I did it for them.”

In 2021 , the remains were identified as Martha.

Just last week, Warren and Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn escorted her remains to her final resting place, something her family hasn’t been able to do.

LATEST KENTUCKY LISTS AND RANKINGS:

• The ‘Top 100 Pizza Spots’ in the Midwest, according to Yelp
• The best place to get a sandwich in Kentucky, according to Yelp
• 2 Kentucky cities make Money magazine’s ‘50 Best Places to Live in the US’

“The family themselves have been down so many dead-end roads before as well—they weren’t willing to reach out again. The Bridgewater Police Chief in Virginia had actually made contact with the family as well and asked them, ‘Listen, there’s somebody in Kentucky looking for you; can you reach out to them?’ And they thought it was a joke.”

That trip solidified the bond Warren made with Martha’s family.

“They were showing me pictures of her that I had never seen before; it really, really came full circle that day—that there were no regrets, zero regrets on that day and especially on that ride home—I definitely reflected on the past eight years,” added Warren.”

He said it was the storybook closure he and the family had hoped for.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.