CONWAY, ARKANSAS: A man has been charged with capital murder after the remains of his mother, 68, were discovered in a freezer at their shared home, following a welfare check requested by concerned family members.
Raymond Martin Jr, 49, of Conway, allegedly engaged in an elaborate deception, using his mother, Nancy Glover-Warren's cell phone and social media accounts to create the deception that she had relocated to Hawaii for retirement, all the while concealing her body in a large stand-up freezer in the garage, as per court documents.
Who is Raymond Martin Jr?
According to police, during the months his mother was missing, Martin Jr allegedly made substantial withdrawals from her bank accounts and attempted to forge a check worth approximately $6,000 in her name, apparently to start a DJ business with his brother. However, he has since been apprehended and is currently detained at the Faulkner County Detention Center, facing charges in connection with the death of Nancy Glover-Warren, his 68-year-old mother. The grisly discovery was made on Thursday, July 6, at the residence they shared, as confirmed by the Conway Police Department (CPD) in a news release issued on Friday, July 7.
Court documents reveal that Martin Jr confessed to the police following the discovery of his mother's remains. In addition to the capital murder charge, he is also facing charges of abuse of a corpse, forgery, fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, and theft of property, as stated by the CPD in their Facebook statement. The police affidavit stated that Martin Jr admitted to strangling his mother during an argument in April. Concerned family members, who had only received text messages from Glover-Warren since mid-April, became alarmed and requested a wellness check from the CPD in June. When attempts to contact her via phone and Facetime were unsuccessful, the family reached out to the police on June 24, her birthday. However, during the wellness check, no one responded when officers knocked on the door.
Martin Jr impersonates his mother to avoid suspicion
Although the family found the limited contact from Glover-Warren to be out of character, they received a series of texts from her phone after the CPD officers visited the house. These messages attempted to explain her absence by claiming that she had decided to retire and enjoy her life after dedicating it to caring for family members. Subsequent texts mentioned that she was in a new relationship in Hawaii and expressed her happiness and carefree state while there, according to the court document. CPD Sergeant Brittani Little, as detailed in the affidavit, stated, "This seemed odd to the family since this news came to them with no warning. They also found it odd that Nancy would leave her 48-year-old son, who requires continual support due to his cognitive abilities and significant needs. Nancy is 68 years old and has been her son's caretaker all his life."
Following the June wellness check, police officers continued their investigation into Glover-Warren's whereabouts, interviewing neighbors and family members, including Martin Jr During questioning, Martin Jr claimed that his mother regularly contacted him through Facetime and phone calls, further asserting that she had gone to Hawaii for the sake of her mental health, allegedly at the suggestion of her doctor. When asked if the officers could speak with her over the phone, he stated that such communication would not be possible until January.
Unraveling the deception
On Wednesday, July 5, investigators received information from a friend of Glover-Warren's, who revealed that when they asked her for a picture of the beach she claimed to be at, they received an image that was later determined to be a doctored photo from a news article. Sergeant Little explained in the affidavit that due to inconsistencies in the stories, the lack of logical reasoning for the sudden move, the receipt of photoshopped images from Glover-Warren's phone, and ongoing concerns for her well-being, a search warrant was obtained for the location of her cell phone. The phone's location led authorities to the Zachary Trail home, which Glover-Warren shared with her two sons.
Family members informed investigators that there was a strained relationship between Glover-Warren and Martin Jr, indicating that it had become so contentious that she expressed fears he might harm her. Sergeant Little stated, "They also stated that Nancy had mentioned fearing Raymond and made mention that if anything ever happened to her, he would be the one to do it. Family detailed rather hostile conversations they heard between Nancy and Raymond while conversing with Nancy over the phone."
A gruesome confession
Upon executing the search warrant and discovering Glover-Warren's remains on July 6, authorities confronted Martin Jr, who eventually confessed to causing his mother's death. According to the alleged confession, the murder occurred during a violent altercation on April 19. Martin Jr provided graphic details to the CPD, describing how he maintained a "tight grip" on his mother's throat until she died. The court document also indicated that he then placed a bag over her head, as "he was unable to look at her because she had a single tear running down her cheek," The Wichita Eagle reported.
