April 3, 2002
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

NEW SMYRNA RACE TO HELP IN SEARCH FOR LILLIAN AND JOSHUA

The images of a Deltona grandmother and grandson who’ve been missing for nearly 11 months will get a ride on another race car this weekend in the hopes the publicity will generate tips that will help the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office solve the case. Lillian Martin and her grandson, Joshua Bryant, disappeared without a trace on May 12, 2001 from the Deltona home they shared with Joshua’s older sister, her husband and the couple’s son. Sifting through hundreds of leads but with little solid information to go on, Sheriff’s investigators say keeping the case in the public spotlight offers their best hope of solving the disappearance. “Someone out there has information and knows what happened to Lillian and Joshua,” said Sheriff’s Inv. Steve Willis, the lead investigator on the case. “Continuing publicity and exposure is what it’s going to take to get at that information.”

And that’s where the sport of auto racing and its enormous popularity and fan base comes in. In the past year, pictures of Joshua and Lillian have appeared on race cars at Sebring and Chicago and Hickory, N.C., each time with a toll-free number to report information regarding the disappearance. Information on the case also appears on billboards, fliers and a variety of Internet web sites. The FBI, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also are assisting in the investigation.

This time, Lillian and Joshua’s pictures will be gracing the hood of a race car a little closer to home — on the #23 TWR Motorsports car competing this weekend at the New Smyrna Speedway. The New Smyrna Chrysler Jeep Dodge auto dealership has agreed to pay for the graphics to put on the car. Driven by Toby Robertson, the #23 Chevrolet Monte Carlo will be part of the field for Saturday’s USAR Hooters ProCup race. The 250-lap short track race gets under way at 7:30 p.m. on the ½-mile asphalt oval at the New Smyrna Speedway on S.R. 44. Robertson credited Jack Holcomb, owner and general manager of the local car dealership, with coming up with the idea to take on the local missing persons case, and he said the racing community is eager to help out. “When Jack brought this to our team, we thought it was a terrific idea,” Robertson said. “The racing community is tight-knit, and we want to do everything possible to help families and people in need.” The race is scheduled to be broadcast three times between April 11-12 on The Speed Channel.