The pain of loss is enough to bear without having mystery added to it. I imagine that never learning what happened to someone you loved is torturous. It is why so many people who are left in the wake of cold cases end up hiring private investigators to uncover the truth behind their loved one’s disappearance. There is nothing quite like getting that closure, I’d think, even decades after the tragedy struck. In 2024, a discovery made by a local diver closed a major missing persons case from 68 years ago.
On December 7, 1958, the Martins set out to get Christmas wreaths in their family car.
LAD Bible reported that Kenneth Martin, 54, and Barbara Martin, 48, left their home in Portland, Oregon, with their three daughters, Barbie, 14, Susan, 13, and Virginia, 11. Witnesses reported seeing the family drive along the Columbia River Gorge, which lies on the border of Washington and Oregon, noting they stopped for food and fuel in the area. It ended up being the last time anyone actually saw the family alive.
When the Martins failed to show up to school and work, investigators began their search.
But five months later, fisherman reported seeing two objects floating in the river, which ended up being the bodies of Sue and Virginia. Their deaths were ruled drownings, per KOIN.
As LAD Bible pointed out, however, the rest of the family was still unaccounted for. Neighbors began to suspect foul play, even accusing the Martins’ eldest son Donald, who was in New York studying at the time of their disappearance.
It wouldn’t be until 2024 that the case would be close to being solved.
Local diver Archer Mayo is extremely passionate about closing cold cases using his diving skills. He took interest in the Martin case and made it his mission to resolve the multi-decade mystery. He made a breakthrough when he found Ken Martin’s station wagon along the bottom of the river.
A year later, in March 2025, Mayo worked alongside authorities to remove the vehicle from the water. Police ran the plate and were able to link it to Kenneth Martin’s car, per LAD Bible. Parts of the vehicle were lifted out and included personal items such as toys, cameras, and a possible firearm. Human remains were later recovered and turned over to the state examiner for forensic identification. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office officially confirmed they belonged to Ken, Barbara, and Barbie.
“Skeletal remains that have been submerged in water for decades can be particularly challenging to work with,” Colby Lasyone, a forensic analyst with genetics lab Ortham Inc., told KOIN. “Unfortunately, the skeletal remains for the other individuals were too degraded and couldn’t be worked with.”
But thanks to Mayo’s discoveries and other evidence collected, investigators were able to determine that the remains belonged to the missing members of the Martin family.
“So many people worked for years to find and identify the Martin family and we are proud to have helped,” Kristen Mittelman, chief development officer of Ortham told KATU of the development. “A mystery like this doesn’t just weigh on the family, it weighs on the entire community, and hopefully this gives a lot of people the resolution they deserve.”
