Barbara Martin
Lost/Injured Missing
Missing From: Portland, Oregon
Missing Since: December 7, 1958
Age: 15 -- Hair Color: Blonde
Barbara's nickname is Barbie.
Barbara disappeared with her family: Her father, Kenneth R. Martin; her mother, Barbara Jean Martin; her sister Susan Martin, 12; and her sister Virginia Martin, 10. They disappeared from Portland, Oregon on December 7, 1958. They set off that day in their 9-passenger Ford station wagon en route to the Columbia Gorge, where they planned to collect greenery to decorate their home for Christmas. They bought gas at Cascade Locks, and were last seen leaving a restaurant in Hood River on the way back to Portland. They never made it home.
In February 1959, a searcher found tire tracks heading off a cliff and into the Columbia River, near The Dalles, Oregon. In May 1959, a river drilling rig near the tire tracks hooked something heavy and metal with its anchor. Before it could be pulled up, it came loose. It may have been the missing Ford. A few days later, Susan and Virginia's bodies were found downstream near the Bonneville Dam. They had both drowned. Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie's remains have never been found.
Police believe the entire family perished after either accidentally driving into the river, or they were abducted and pushed inside their car off the cliff. An attempt was made to search the water for more evidence, but the search was called off after a diver nearly died. No further searches were made and the case was closed. Barbara and her parents remain missing, however.
Doe Network
Charley Project
