AMITY, Maine – A shy, quiet man, loved by the people who knew him, was found dead in his burned home in Amity on Nov. 22, according to his girlfriend.
The body of Anthony “Tony” Martinez, 43, was discovered along with one of his three dogs, Buddy, in the home he owned at 44 Emily Drive, said Marjie Johnson, who lives in Colorado.
“I know it was him and he was the only one living there,” Johnson said on Sunday night. “But they have to positively identify him before releasing his name or his remains to a funeral home.”
Because he was badly burned, Martinez’s remains are still in Augusta at the state coroner’s office, pending a final identification, according to Johnson.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has a tentative identification, but they are awaiting a positive identification, according to Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Records at the Maine State Recorder of Deeds for Southern Aroostook show the home belonged to Martinez.
On Nov. 21, Johnson began to worry about Martinez because she had been unable to reach him by phone, she said, adding that he lived back in the woods and his phone would sometimes lose the signal.
“I had a really bad feeling at first, thinking something was wrong. But then I thought, let me think positive, maybe his generator went out and he couldn’t plug in his phone,” she said.
But as the day went on without connecting, she called state police, the local hospital and Houlton police the next morning for a welfare check.
“The deputy must have been close by, they were at his place in 10 minutes,” she said, adding that’s when the burning home and his remains were discovered.
The fire marshal’s office confirmed that it was a welfare check that alerted authorities to the fire and remains. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Johnson has known Martinez since she was 15, both living in Colorado, but attending different high schools.
“We hung out with the same people,” she said.
About four years ago, Martinez left Colorado and moved with his then wife to Amity, Johnson said.
According to the property deed filed with the Maine State Recorder of Deeds for Southern Aroostook, Anthony Martinez and Tina Martinez purchased the property in December 2021.
Tina Martinez no longer lived at the property and according to Johnson she is his ex-wife who left the property a year or two ago.
Tina Martinez could not be reached for comment.
For a period of time he worked at Houlton Regional Hospital and labor and delivery nurse Tonimarie Hetherington said on Monday afternoon how much she liked him.
“It’s so sad. I’m disappointed in myself for not reaching out more. Maybe it could have made a difference and helped him,” she said. “He really was kind. I didn’t even know about the fire or anything.”
She did not know much about his story except he collected the trash and always smiled when he saw her, Hetherington said.
“It made my day to see such a shy human smile,” she said.
Johnson flew to Aroostook County over the weekend with plane tickets Martinez had purchased for her Dec. 2 birthday visit, she said.
In her grief, Johnson just threw things in a bag and decided to come to the County from Colorado anyway to see where he lived and to talk to people who might have known him, she said.
“I just decided I’m going to make the trek here, he would have wanted me to,” she said. “He was just the most generous, kind soul.”
Johnson and Martinez’s mother and sister have organized a GoFundMe Campaign to help bring his remains home to Colorado along with his two surviving dogs, she said.
Martinez’s mother, Sandra Vargas, was not able to be reached regarding her son’s death.
The Houlton Humane Society has Martinez’s other two dogs and Johnson said she is returning to the area in two weeks to bring the dogs home to people who will love them.
While in the County, Johnson said so many people helped her, with rides, support and comfort. One couple who knew Martinez drove her out to his home and even lent her a pair of boots since she was not prepared for the snow.
“And just all in all love,” she said. “It definitely did help to see where he lived and to speak with so many people who love him.”
