Federal and local authorities are piecing together the final days of a troubled young man who was shot and killed Sunday after sneaking onto Mar-a-Lago, the private estate of President Donald Trump, while armed with a shotgun.

The intruder, identified as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, was killed Sunday after he reportedly raised his weapon into a “shooting position,” prompting Secret Service agents and Florida police to open fire.

Authorities said Martin had been reported missing by his family a day earlier, after he vanished from his home in North Carolina. His mother had circulated a missing-person poster, hoping to locate him before it was too late.

Instead, investigators now say Martin had driven south on what appears to have been a one-way journey to Trump’s Florida residence.

In the days before his death, Martin sent a series of unsettling text messages to a co-worker, obtained by TMZ, revealing an intense fixation on the so-called Epstein files.

“Evil is real and unmistakable,” he wrote in one message. “The best people like you and I can do is raise awareness.”

Colleagues later told investigators that Martin believed the government was deliberately hiding information to protect powerful elites. He reportedly grew increasingly frustrated over what he saw as corruption, economic hardship, and the inability of young people to afford independence. Sources said he had even tried — unsuccessfully — to organize a union at his workplace for higher wages.

Relatives described Martin as soft-spoken and deeply loyal to Trump. His cousin said most of the family were strong supporters of the president and insisted that violence was completely out of character.

“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant,” the cousin said. “He doesn’t even know how to use a gun.”

On Sunday, Martin allegedly entered the Mar-a-Lago grounds carrying a shotgun and a gas can. When confronted by security, he raised his weapon and was immediately shot.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were at the White House at the time and were not in danger.

Authorities have not announced a definitive motive and say the investigation remains ongoing. Residents in the area have been asked to review security footage for any additional clues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)