Bonnie Thomas is still searching for answers 20 years after her 13-year-old son was brutally murdered.
Kevin Martin disappeared in 1994 when the family was living in Stellarton, N.S. His body was found six years later but his killer has yet to be found.
Thomas and her family make the trip from Charlottetown to the Lorne Street Cemetery in New Glasgow, where Kevin is buried, each year.
“It’s a long emotional journey for us all and we find comfort coming here to visit with Kevin,” says Thomas.
Kevin was last seen running away from his home in Stellarton in 1994. At first, police thought he may have been a runaway.
In November 2000, commercial loggers found his body about 40 kilometres away in the woods of Burnside, Colchester County.
DNA testing later confirmed Kevin had been the victim of a homicide.
“We would describe it as a cold brutal murder of a little boy,” said Bible Hill RCMP Sgt. Dave Darrah in March 2001.
Kevin’s sister, Samantha Cole, was only seven years old when her brother’s body was found.
“Coming home from school and my parents said that they found a body and it was confirmed as Kevin,” says Cole, who is now married with two children.
“I don’t usually cry but it’s just been hard, but our family’s been strong, has gotten stronger,” says Thomas.
Kevin’s case was added to the Nova Scotia Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program earlier this month. Under the program, the province is offering up to $150,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Thomas is hoping it will help track down those responsible for her son’s death.
“I don’t know how they can live with themselves, knowing what they’ve done to a little innocent boy that didn’t deserve that.”
She also says her annual visit to the cemetery in New Glasgow will continue to be a tradition, even after her son’s killer is found.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
