Heidi Lee Martin was 16 and a Hartford High School sophomore when she disappeared after a Sunday jog on Martinsville Road on May 20, 1984. The next day her body was found partially submerged in a shallow brook behind Hartland Elementary School; an autopsy showed she had been stabbed four times in the chest and abdomen and drowned. Her clothes had been put on backwards, and there were no signs of sexual assault.

Police arrested 21-year-old Delbert Tallman within about 15 hours of the discovery. Tallman, who had developmental disabilities, confessed and later recanted, and his defense argued the confession was coerced. Tallman testified he’d been in the woods collecting bottles and cans and had seen another local man, Albert Sargent, commit the killing. Sargent gave unusual testimony claiming clairvoyant visions that included details about the scene. A jury ultimately acquitted Tallman, and no other arrests were made.

The case remains unsolved and has prompted continued questions from Heidi’s family, including possible links raised to a broader series of killings in the Connecticut River Valley area. If anyone knew Heidi, saw her on May 20, 1984, or has information about Martinsville Road or the woods behind the school, please come forward.