DNA proves remains found in the Columbia River are of a family missing since 1958
LOCKS IN CASCADE, OR — DNA analysis has identified remains found in a car in the Columbia River as those of an Oregon family who disappeared in 1958 during a trip in search of Christmas greenery, authorities said Thursday.
The state medical examiner’s office identified parents Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie among the remains found in the river inside the car wreck, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s office said it concluded its investigation and found no evidence of a crime.
The Ford station wagon thought to belong to the family was found in 2024 by a diver who had been looking for it for several years. Authorities removed part of the car from the river the following year.
The family disappeared in December 1958. The bodies of two of the family’s children were found months after the disappearance, but the other members never reappeared.
The search for the Martin family made national news at the time and led some to speculate about the possibility of foul play, with a $1,000 reward offered for information.
“Where do you look if you’ve already searched every place that logic and sketchy clues suggest?” asked an Associated Press article in 1959, months after the disappearance.
Only the chassis and some attached components were recovered from the water due to “the extent to which the vehicle was encased in sediment,” the sheriff’s office said. Analysis of these elements allowed investigators to conclude that it was indeed the Martin family car.
Later in 2025, the diver located human remains which were eventually turned over to the state medical examiner’s office.
Scientists developed DNA extracts from the remains and generated a profile that was compared to those of the Martin family’s relatives, enabling the identifications, authorities said.
