Overview
- Authorities said Thursday that the state medical examiner identified Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie Martin from remains tied to the family’s submerged car, and the sheriff closed the case with no evidence of a crime.
- Othram’s lab built a single SNP DNA profile from degraded remains and matched it to relatives to confirm Kenneth, while Barbara and Barbie were identified through the recovery context and an anthropological assessment after other DNA failed.
- Private diver Archer Mayo found the family’s Ford station wagon in 2024 about 50 feet down in the Columbia River and later turned over human remains he located in 2025 to the medical examiner.
- Only the frame and attached parts could be retrieved in early 2025 because the car was encased in sediment, and items at the site, including a camera case with Kenneth Martin’s name and address and film, helped confirm the vehicle’s identity.
- The Martins vanished in December 1958 during a short trip to gather Christmas greenery, two younger daughters were found months later downstream, and officials have now notified next of kin who asked for privacy, bringing long-sought closure for relatives and the community.