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Even after 27 years, there are days when hope of seeing his sister alive creeps in for Frank Frost.
"But I can't have that hope because it would drive me mad," he said Wednesday. "Personally, it is easier for me to think that she is gone."
Frank Frost has accepted the idea that his sister, Debra Frost, is dead. But he wants to know how she was killed and the location of her body so she can have a proper, "dignified burial" next to their father.
On Wednesday, Salt Lake City police asked for the public's help in seeking information about a man believed to have had a connection with 17-year-old Debra Frost, who went missing in July 1984.
That man is Fred Martinez, who killed himself in September 1995 at the age of 41. Police now believe that talking to people who knew Martinez could help them learn what happened to the teen.
Frost was last seen at about 10 p.m.on July 9, 1984, hitchhiking near 250 East and 200 South in Salt Lake City after visiting her boyfriend.
She had told her boyfriend she was going to a home near 1200 South and Montgomery Street (1577 West), where she resided with friends, according to news stories from 1984.
But she never arrived. And despite investigative efforts, the case went cold decades ago.
"I don't think my family ever gave up hope," Frank Frost told The Tribune during a phone interview from his home in Minnesota.
During the two years following the disappearance, Frank Frost said their father travelled all through the western United States searching for his daughter. "He drove himself crazy… He died in 2005 never knowing what happened."
Last year, however, several anonymous tips led investigators to Rock Springs, Wyo., and to Martinez, said Salt Lake City police Det. Carlie Wiechman.
"It came out that these people were pointing to Fred Martinez," said Frank Frost, who added that his family learned Martinez and his sister "were supposedly dating at the time."
Also due to the tipsters, police in Rock Springs searched for and found an abbreviated report showing Martinez was pulled over 12 days after Debra Frost went missing. In the car with Martinez was a young woman who identified herself as Debra Frost and gave a matching date of birth, Frank Frost told The Tribune.
The entirety of the Rock Springs police report has been destroyed, and the exact nature of the encounter is unknown, Wiechman said. Detectives believe finding out more about Martinez — who was known to travel back and forth between Rock Springs and Salt Lake City — could help answer questions aboutFrost.
"The fact that she gave her correct date of birth tells me that was probably my sister [in the car] with this guy," Frank Frost said. ".... it's not a huge leap to conclude that maybe this guy had something to do with [Debra Frost's disappearance]."
Frank Frost said that at the time his sister disappeared, Martinez was known as someone associated with her, and police had interviewed him.
But Frank Frost emphasized: "Martinez is not a suspect. His family has been very cooperative in this whole thing."
Frank Frost, who was six years old when his sister went missing, said he became obsessed with her disappearance. He mailed her information to news networks and he became a frequent visitor to the Doe Network, a volunteer organization that assists police in solving cold cases.
Over the years, he would call Salt Lake City police hoping there was new information about the case.
"I am really glad that we are getting somewhere with this whole thing," he said.
At the time of her disappearance, Frank Frost said his sister was living with her maternal grandmother but often stayed with friends.
And even though his sister was described as a rebellious teen, she always stayed in touch with their father, aunt or another family member to let them know she was okay, Frank Frost said.
But there have been no calls or letters from her in the past 27 years.
It was around the time of their father's death that Frank Frost said he accepted that his sister was not out there somewhere alive.
"For some of the family, it has been very difficult for them to accept it, and they won't let go of this idea that she might still be alive," he said.
Police seek help in missing teen case
Debra Frost, who disappeared in 1984, was acquainted with a then-30-year-old man named Fred Martinez, who travelled between Salt Lake City and Rock Springs, Wyo.
Anyone who knew Martinez or has information about Frost may call Salt Lake City police at 801-799-3000 and request confidentiality; or call the Tips for Cash hotline at 801-799-INFO.
Anonymous tips also may be sent via text to CRIMES (274637). Begin the message with the keyword TIPSLCPD, then supply the information.