Martha and friends walked one friend home so she could meet her nine o"clock curfew. The remaining kids walked back to the Skakel's an hour later when they finally met up with Michael Skakel sitting in his father's car, listening to music. Martha's friends joined him in the backseat, but Martha settled in next to him in the front seat. It was well known that Martha liked Michael, but Martha also had an equal interest in his older brother, Thomas. Both boys liked Martha and often fought over her. After a few minutes of the group listening to music, Thomas walked out to find Martha sitting next to Michael; and he joined them in the front seat, right next to Martha. Thomas allegedly put his hand on Martha's knee and listened to her when she asked him to take it off. At roughly nine-thirty p.m. Michael and Thomas's sister Julie walked outside and said that she needed the car to take a friend home. A few minuets later the group of kids found that the party have been moved to the Skakel's cousins Jim Terrien's house. Martha, Thomas and friends decided not to go but Michael went ahead to the party. Martha's friends, who she had walked to the Skakel house left, disgusted with Martha's behavior. Martha and Thomas had been flirting and kissing and did not seem like they were going to stop there. As her friends were walking home, they saw Martha and Thomas fall together behind the fence near the Skakel's pool. That was the last time her friends saw her (Murder Case Timeline).
Martha's mother, Dorothy, became worried at eleven o"clock, although she had no curfew; she never took advantage of the privilege and was always home at a decent hour. Martha's father was out of town so when her brother John came home, Dorothy had him look around town for Martha after midnight had come and gone. John had tried to get out of looking for her by assuring his m other that his sister was just out having a good time.