Particle.news
Download on the App Store

DNA Confirms Martin Family Remains From 1958 Oregon Disappearance

The finding lets investigators end the case without evidence of foul play.

Overview

  • The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, which announced the DNA matches Thursday, identified the remains as Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie.
  • Deputies said they have closed the investigation and found no evidence that a crime occurred.
  • Diver Archer Mayo located the family’s Ford station wagon in 2024 about 50 feet down in the Columbia River near Cascade Locks.
  • Only the frame and a few attached parts could be recovered because the car was packed in river sediment, which limited what investigators could examine.
  • Later in 2025, Mayo turned human remains over to the state medical examiner, who extracted DNA and matched the profiles to relatives of the Martins.