Share and Follow

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Fresh insights have emerged from the family of a man who was discovered deceased last week behind a business located on Ogeechee Road. As they await the autopsy results, his brothers are left with lingering questions and a quest for closure.
spoke with Genevieve Lund and Ava Cartes, who joined the family to reminisce about his life and share their thoughts on the circumstances surrounding his death.
“He was a kind-hearted person, always full of joy,” expressed Eliseo Martínez, reflecting on his younger brother Timoteo.
For Eugenio and Eliseo Martínez, the days following Thanksgiving have become a haze—days marked by anxiety, a relentless search, and an outcome no family wishes to face. Their youngest sibling, 34-year-old Timoteo, vanished after a night out on the eve of Thanksgiving and never returned home.
Read the full story in Spanish:
They say he was at a cantina near their home. At some point, Timoteo stepped away—maybe to the bathroom—and never came back. By Thanksgiving morning, his room was empty, and his phone was silent.
As the weekend passed, calls from family in Mexico grew urgent. By Friday, the brothers were filing missing-person reports.
“Well, I was in the office trying to make the (missing person) report when my brother called me crying… because he had found our brother at the marsh,” said Eliseo Martínez.
Family and friends searching on their own found Timoteo’s body behind the cantina, lying face down in the marsh, wearing only his underwear. His brothers say several of his belongings were missing.
The brothers said that detectives mentioned hypothermia and drowning as possible causes, but the brothers find that hard to believe. As they wait for the autopsy, they’re choosing to focus on who Timoteo was: disciplined and hardworking.
“He served the military in Mexico, and he gave his service. He had very good discipline. I admired him. I admired my brother a lot,” said Eliseo Martínez.
A loving little brother who they say always tried to make others laugh and who always looked up to his older siblings.
“And he told me…. Brother, I see you as a father,” said Eliseo.
Now, as they work to bring his body back to their hometown in Veracruz, people in the community are reaching out and offering help.
“People started calling, asking what they can do to help. Well, I won’t take that wish to help away from them,” said Eliseo.
The family says they simply want answers and are urging anyone who knows anything to come forward. They’re also accepting donations to help bring Timoteo’s body home to Mexico.
has reached out to Chatham County Police for more information. You can support the family by Zelle at 912-704-2422 or 912-655-1654.