The Disappearance of Martin Keith Burleson, October 1973

Martin Burleson was born on October 9, 1950 in Sacramento County, CA to parents Edward Lee and Geraldine "Gerrie" Burleson (nee Khan). His mother, Gerrie, is half Indian — possibly specifically half Punjabi — through her father; on census records, she is listed as East Indian.

Martin seems to have been either the oldest or second oldest Burleson child, though this is uncertain due to not being able to find birth records for his (possibly older) sister Linda. He had eight siblings total, who — other than Linda — ranged between three and fifteen years younger than Martin. Among family he went by the nickname Marty.

It seems that all of the children, including Martin, attended Rio Linda High School. From what I could find, the Burleson family lived variously in Carmichael, Elverta, and Del Paso Heights (a neighborhood of Sacramento), all in Sacramento County, as well as eventually Live Oak, Sutter County, CA, up to at least 1978 as well as in the 90s. In 1968 and 1978 — the two dates closest to the time of Martin's disappearance — the Burlesons were living in Elverta, Sacramento County, though according to NamUs, they were living in Live Oak, Sutter County in 1973.

An April 1969 article in the Sacramento Bee indicates that Martin lived separately from his family, at 1115 T St in Sacramento, at the time of publication. The article also states that at the time the high school graduate was "plan[ning] to continue his education at the University of California at Davis."

Photo of Martin from NamUs.

The date of Martin's disappearance is uncertain. All sources — except for the Charley Project — including NamUs and CA DOJ, list his official date of last contact as Monday, October 15, 1973. However, in the description of circumstances section of his NamUs, it is stated that he was last in contact with family on Monday, October 1, 1973; this is also the date provided by the Charley Project, which uses both NamUs and CA DOJ as sources.

Regardless, on the day of his disappearance, Martin, 23, called his mother, Gerrie, from San Francisco and told her that he was going to move back home to Live Oak in Sutter County. He has never been seen or heard from again. It is unknown when he originally moved to San Francisco or how he planned to get from there to Live Oak. Few details are available in his case.

Martin's father, as well as two of his younger brothers, have since passed away. In his brother Jerry's 1990 obituary he is simply listed as "Marty Burleson of Sacramento." Martin is specifically listed as surviving his father in the latter's obituary from 2004. Furthermore, an article published in the Sacramento Bee in November 1978 regarding his mother Gerrie's quilting work makes no mention of Martin's disappearance: in the article, Gerrie is described as a "mother of nine" whose "clan rang[es] in age from 13 to 28 years old"; Martin would have turned 28 in October 1978.

Photo from NamUs.

Martin is a white male of partial South Asian (specifically Indian) descent. At the time of his disappearance he was 23 years old, 5'11, and 150 lbs. He has blue eyes, and photos of him on NamUs showed that he wore his brown hair long at the time; he also had a mustache.

It is unknown what Martin was wearing when he disappeared. Sources indicate that he also used the alias "David Bartholemew [sic]." If alive today he would be 74 years old.

Martin is listed as Missing and Endangered Missing on the Charley Project and Doe Network, respectively. According to NamUs, he was reported missing on September 15, 2004. His NamUs case, #MP28749, was created on May 18, 2015 and last updated January 12, 2024.

Martin's fingerprints and DNA are available for comparison, while his dental x-rays are not. According to NamUs, he has 32 UID exclusions, all but one of which were found in VA and/or have since been identified.

Anyone with information in Martin's case is urged to contact the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 558-5508 or (415) 553-0123, or by emailing SFPDMissingPersonsUnit@sfgov.org. The agency case number is 041-056-355. Any little piece of information counts.

Furthermore, according to the CA DOJ's missing persons database, "If you think you know the whereabouts of any person, BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTION, please contact the law enforcement agency listed in the record, or the California Department of Justice at 1-800-222-FIND (24 hour nationwide toll-free Hotline) or (916) 210-3119, or email us [CA DOJ] at missing.persons@doj.ca.gov." According to the same site, individuals seeking to contact CA DOJ regarding a missing person can use the email form here.