Manuel M. Martinez, 68, was abducted from a downtown Madison apartment on North Brooks Street in mid-June 2022, beaten and bound at the wrists, and forced into his own vehicle. Evidence indicates he was driven north toward Columbia County; detectives began searching rural areas near Portage after learning the kidnapping may have turned deadly.

Martinez’s body was found along Klappstein Road near State Highway 16 in the Town of Lewiston; authorities said he had been shot and early timelines place the killing on June 14, 2022. Madison and Columbia County investigators executed search warrants and developed suspects, and three residents—Jesse J. Freiberg, then 28; Ja’Kenya K. Patty, 21; and Laura M. Johnson, 38—were arrested and booked in Columbia County. Prosecutors described Martinez being assaulted, transported to rural Lewiston, and shot, with at least one account saying he was fleeing with his hands tied when killed.

If anyone has information about Martinez, his abduction in Madison, or the events that led to the shooting near Klappstein Road, please share what is known.