The recent discovery of a submerged car in the Columbia River may be linked to the disappearance of the Martin family from Oregon 67 years ago.
In December 1958, Ken and Barbara Martin, along with their three daughters Barbara (14), Virginia (12), and Susan (10) set out from Portland to collect Christmas greenery in the Columbia River Gorge. They never returned. The family’s Ford station wagon vanished without a trace, leaving behind a decades-long mystery.
In May 1959, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were found in the river near Bonneville Dam, about 40 miles apart, but no sign of Ken, Barbara, or the youngest daughter, Barbara, was ever uncovered. Theories ranged from an accidental plunge into the river to foul play, but the case went cold. However, things have now changed.
In late 2024, a diver named Archer Mayo, who had been searching for the vehicle for seven years, located a Ford station wagon upside down, 50 feet underwater and 90% buried in sediment in the Columbia River near Cascade Locks.
On March 7th, 2025, after two days of dredging, a crane pulled the car’s frame from the river. The body of the vehicle detached during the process and remains underwater, but authorities are confident it matches the description of the Martins’ car. No human remains were found inside during the initial recovery, though the car was filled with rocks and debris.
The frame is now headed to a warehouse for forensic analysis, which could finally shed light on whether the family’s disappearance was a tragic accident (perhaps a plunge off a cliff or road into the river) or something more sinister. The discovery has reignited hope for closure in a case that’s haunted Oregon for nearly seven decades.
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