Brother of Eugene Martin remains hopeful case will be solved nearly four decades after disappearance

Saturday marked 39 years since the disappearance of Eugene Martin, who was delivering newspapers in Des Moines when he went missing. Martin was just 13 years old on Aug. 12, 1984, when Des Moines police say he went missing in the early hours of the day. He has not been seen since. "As kids, we would ride our bikes all day; play around," said Donald Dellaca, Martin's older brother. KCCI spoke with Dellaca over the phone on Friday. He continues to hold out hope that answers will come in his brother's disappearance. "I would just like someone that knows something to come forth," Dellaca said. Martin's disappearance rekindled widespread concern and fear due to the similarity to another case that happened a couple of years before. Two years prior to his disappearance, 12-year-old Johnny Gosch disappeared while delivering papers in West Des Moines. Martin's case happened in Des Moines. "We still miss him," Dellaca said. "We're still looking." Thirty-nine years later, Des Moines police say the search remains open and ongoing. In a statement sent to KCCI Friday, DMPD said "Cases such as this don't grow 'cold' due to a lack of interest from investigators or the community, but rather they stall as investigative leads are exhausted and new leads come infrequently. This remains a case of significant interest for the Des Moines Police Department." "He was a great guy," Dellaca said. KCCI has spoken with Martin's family a number of times throughout the years. Crews were there as Martin's family came together a Christmas following his disappearance. Prior to speaking with Donald Dellaca, KCCI spoke with his and Martin's sister, Kim Dellaca, in 2022. "My mom and dad never gave up on him," Kim Dellaca said in 2022. "So as long as they thought he was still out there, I assume the same thing." Now, Donald Dellaca shares a similar message of hope.