On Thursday, April 16, 2026, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that remains recovered from the Columbia River are those of three long-missing members of the Martin family: Kenneth Martin, his wife Barbara and their daughter Barbara “Barbie” Martin. The remains were discovered inside the family’s station wagon near Cascade Locks, effectively closing a mystery that began when the Portland family vanished on December 7, 1958. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said it has wrapped up its inquiry and found no evidence of a crime.
The Martins disappeared on December 7, 1958, after telling neighbors they were driving into the Columbia River Gorge to collect greenery for Christmas decorations. Two of the couple’s daughters, Virginia and Susan, were later recovered from the river, but the rest of the family stayed missing for decades. According to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, the case became one of the region’s most enduring cold cases, drawing repeated searches and a steady stream of tips over the years.
The case surged back to life after an independent diver reported spotting a 1950s station wagon resting in a deep hole in the river. In early March 2025, salvage crews used a crane to haul the vehicle’s frame and wheels from about 50 feet of water. Reporting from OPB documented the recovery and noted that heavy sediment had left much of the cabin submerged and encased.
Diver Archer Mayo later told local outlets he recovered personal items and then human remains from the same area. He turned those materials over to investigators for forensic testing. Local coverage of Mayo’s dives and discoveries appears on KPTV and in a regional writeup titled submerged secrets unearthed.
How the IDs Were Made
When traditional tests failed on the badly degraded remains, state examiners turned to advanced forensic genetics. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office partnered with forensic genetics lab Othram Inc., which uses genome sequencing and identity inference tools to build usable DNA profiles from tiny or contaminated samples and to generate genealogical leads for comparison.
Investigators, Agencies and Next Steps
Investigators ultimately produced one DNA profile that could be positively matched to family reference samples, formally identifying Kenneth Martin. Authorities said that Barbara and Barbie Martin were then identified based on the circumstances of the recovery and anthropological analysis. As KATU reports, officials credited a multi-agency effort that included the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, Othram, Research Triangle Institute, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team and the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division. Next of kin have been notified and have asked for privacy.
