Viola Brown Martin 53, Mom of A I winner vanished 12/25/09 Glenwood, IL

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Illinois Police Hunt For Missing Mom

Police in Glenwood, Ill., have been pleading with the public for help locating a woman missing since the early hours of Dec. 26, 2009.

Christmas Day was a joyful celebration despite the hard year the Martin family had endured. Viola Brown Martin, 53, spent the day with family members, including her daughter Angela, who had received her third-straight golden ticket to Hollywood from American Idol.

The family managed to put aside heartache and pain from family loss and serious illness as they gathered to celebrate one another and find happiness during the holiday season.

But that happiness would only last so long. Cops tell AMW that Viola left Angela's home to go visit another daughter who lived a mere 20 minutes away and had just been released from the hospital.

Only Viola never arrived.

As a matter of fact, no one heard from her for days. She didn't report to work or pick up her paycheck. After exhausting their personal search efforts by calling and canvassing the area looking for Viola on their own, her family filed a missing persons report with the Glenwood Police Department on Dec. 29.

The very next day, police in nearby Dixmoor found Viola's car abandoned on a street, parked illegally. No one knows how the car got there or if Viola was the last driver.

The car was impounded and yielded no clues as to her whereabouts.

Police have not ruled out the possibility that Viola may have left on her own accord, but nonetheless, they'd love nothing more than to reunite her with her family.

If you know where Viola Martin is, you've got to call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=70854

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'American Idol' contender Angela Martin's missing mother spotted as she takes 'Idol' loss in stride

Friday, February 19th 2010, 2:49 PM

It's hard to imagine someone with a better attitude about worse circumstances than "American Idol" contender Angela Martin.

The aspiring singer just got cut on her third try-out for the show. But that's minor stuff compared to the Job-like tragedies that have plagued her of late.

She suffered the loss of her father, who was murdered; her daughter suffers from seizures; she missed her second chance to be on "Idol" when she had to serve jail time over a traffic violation; and her mother remains missing two months after she disappeared without a trace.

There has been some progress in locating Viola Brown Martin, who has not been seen since Dec. 26. "We just got an inside tip," the singer told People.com. "America's Most Wanted called the detectives on the case. The tip said she had been spotted in Chicago at 55th and Halsted, so we went out there and a man at a liquor store said, 'You just missed your mom three hours ago.' She has been seen begging for change and she does not seem aware. We are very concerned because she has relapsed after a long time of being sober. But we are hopeful we can find her."

After suffering through so much, it makes sense that when Martin found out she'd been cut from the Top 24 on "Idol" this week, she took it like a trooper.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/02/19/2010-02-19_american_idol_contender_angela_martins_missing_mother_spotted_as_she_takes_idol_.html