Woman whose remains were found near Camp Shelby was hard-working, loving, son says
Kimberly Ann Robertson Hall was a loving mother who worked hard and had a passion for helping others.
"That was one of her favorite things to do," her son Ryker Martin said. "She loved that job and she loved taking care of people."
Hall was going to school to become a nurse while raising her two sons and would often be up late doing homework or studying.
"I remember countless nights going to bed on a school night and seeing her in the kitchen at the table with her laptop and a stack of papers as tall as the ceiling," Martin said. "I'd wake up and it would seem like she was sitting in the same spot."
Hall, who would have turned 50 in January, lived in State Line and worked as a nurse in Waynesboro before she disappeared.
In addition to her passion for nursing, Hall was a competitive clogger and taught the dance style for a few years.
"She was so dedicated to clogging and stuff," Martin said. "She could sit there and tap dance to any song you turned on."
The family would go fishing together, a sport they all enjoyed, even when things went wrong, Martin said. He recounted a time when they were fishing on a lake and he was excited about catching a fish.
"I caught this big 5-pound bass and got him in the boat and put him on my stringer," he said. "I threw the fish back in the water but didn't tie my stringer to the boat and my stepdad laughed at me when the fish went off with the stringer in his mouth.
"My mom said, 'He's gonna cry,' and my stepdad said, 'No, he's not gonna cry.' About that time that I started crying. I was so upset but that was one of the most memorable moments I think we all had together."
Despite leading a full life, Hall always made time for Martin and his older brother, Dakota. Although she loved her family, she would also go through periods when she dropped communication with her family.
"Through the years she had a bad habit of disappearing for six, seven months at a time," Martin said. "Then she would pop back up and message us. That's the only reason we didn't file a report. We thought she just didn't want to reach out."
Hall's skeletal remains were found in October 2022 in a wooded area near Camp Shelby, but she was not identified until earlier this year. Forrest County Sheriff's officials and anthropologists from the University of Southern Mississippi said her body had been at the site for approximately three-to-five years before it was discovered.
It is unclear how or when she died.
"I'm still in shock over it," Martin said. "It probably won't hit me until I cross that state line going toward her funeral."
Hall missed her son's graduation and the birth of her grandchild, Scout, who is now 14 months old. But Martin said his mother was still a big influence.
"Her work ethic, her contributions to my life," Martin said. "I picked up a lot of things from her, like my competitiveness and wanting to do good.
"She showed up to all my football games and stuff, even when I moved to Arkansas, she came up here a few times. She loved to watch me play. She was my biggest supporter."
The 21-year-old who lives in Ozark, Arkansas, has worked his way up the ranks as a telecom lineman. He loves being a father.
Martin, 21, plans to bury his mother's remains in State Line next to her brother's, who died as a teen, Martin said, but he has to wait until her remains are released by the state crime lab in Pearl, so no plans for a funeral have been made.
"It's really hard not knowing what happened," Martin said.
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office at 601-544-7800, or to remain anonymous, contact Metro Crimestoppers at www.P3tips.com or dial **tips on a mobile device.
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This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Kimberly Ann Robertson Hall remains found at Camp Shelby in Mississippi
