The Killer Who Smiled During His Confession

Girl Found Burning in Bathtub While Three Adults Walk Free: The Death of Victoria MartensA ten-year-old girl arrives home from school on August 23rd, 2016, and never leaves the apartment alive. Hours later, firefighters discover her body submerged and burning in a bathtub in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Three adults lived in that apartment. None were convicted of killing her.In this episode, we reconstruct the fractured timeline of Victoria Martens' final hours through conflicting confessions, forensic contradictions, and a DNA sample that belongs to someone no one can identify. The medical examiner's autopsy reveals manual strangulation and stabbing-yet the confession describes an overdose. Geolocation data places two suspects outside the apartment during the exact window of death. A third admits to severe intoxication. And a neighbor witnesses someone descending the stairs with a body wrapped in a sheet before any emergency call was made.Victim: Victoria Martens, age 10Date: August 23-24, 2016Location: Arroyo Villas apartment complex, Albuquerque, New MexicoStatus: Three convicted; killer unconfirmed- Autopsy found no drugs or alcohol in Victoria's body, contradicting the mother's confession that she died from an overdose.- Geolocation data places the two adult suspects outside the apartment during the exact 30-minute window when the medical examiner determined death occurred.- An unidentified male DNA sample was found on Victoria's back that does not match any of the three convicted individuals or emergency responders present at the scene.- A neighbor witnessed Jessica Kelly descending the apartment stairs carrying a girl wrapped in a sheet before emergency services received any call for help.Victoria Martens, Albuquerque New Mexico, 2016, homicide, unsolved mysteries, forensic science, manual strangulation, child death, criminal minds, investigation, true crime EnglishTo listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected] you'd like to listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, we invite you to try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and associated materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or total or partial commercial use is prohibited without prior written authorization. For permissions, licenses, and commercial inquiries: [email protected]