OR OR – Martin Family Ken 54, Barbara 48, Barbie 15, Columbia River Gorge, Dec 7 1958

[Lilladyj]

 

[evilwise]

Seems like Adventurers With Purpose might be able to find that car but there's no reward. I have a sneaking suspicion that even if the car and the remains of the other three were recovered, no slugs would be recovered. A gun caked with blood is one that had been used to pistol whip someone, not necessarily to shoot them. It's horrifying but I think it was probably a "you and your family can go off this cliff with or without bullets in your heads, your choice".

I expect the elder son felt his inheritance was being squandered on this "new family" or he just resented it being easier and happier for his little sisters than it had been for him. I assume he's okay to sleuth since the reporting at the time is equivalent to identifying him as a person of interest considering the handgun's link.

 

[Valiant]

Seems like Adventurers With Purpose might be able to find that car but there's no reward. I have a sneaking suspicion that even if the car and the remains of the other three were recovered, no slugs would be recovered. A gun caked with blood is one that had been used to pistol whip someone, not necessarily to shoot them. It's horrifying but I think it was probably a "you and your family can go off this cliff with or without bullets in your heads, your choice".

I expect the elder son felt his inheritance was being squandered on this "new family" or he just resented it being easier and happier for his little sisters than it had been for him. I assume he's okay to sleuth since the reporting at the time is equivalent to identifying him as a person of interest considering the handgun's link.

Adventures with Purpose did do a segment or two searching for the car. They mentioned there was more to come, but I didn't see any additional searches.
It is possible that they moved away from this as they are avoiding, if at all possible, cases where there may be criminal activity involved.

 

[Richard]

Missing since 7 December 1958

Barbara, circa 1958; Susan Martin; Virginia Martin; Donald Martin

 

[DS2021]

According to the Charley Project both Susan and Virginia had drowned. The article also states

The cause of death could not be determined due to decomposition, but Virginia's body had a hole in the head.

I have a few questions
1) did they compare the size of the hole in her head to the size of the bullet the firearm nearby would use?
2) wouldn't drowning be the cause of death?
3) if the hole in Virginia's head was caused by a bullet it would've likely been a fatal wound. She would've been unable to drown if she was already dead correct?
4) Is it possible that they found pleural fluid in their lungs and labeled COD as drowning due to that? If I'm understanding this article
( PM and autopsy photo warning) correctly it's possible that pleural fluid can build up in the lungs post mortem due to decomposition in water. Here's a quote

Drowning victims frequently have fluid collections in the pleural cavities at autopsy regardless of the postmortem interval. While some of the pleural fluid may represent true effusion occurring as part of the drowning process, fluid accumulation in the pleural spaces is also commonly present in bodies recovered from the water that have undergone decomposition irrespective of the cause of death.

Sorry for the long message

 

[mamabear43]

I took a look at the river on google earth and found what definitely looks like could be a vehicle. I am not a local but hope someone can go check this location out!

 

[Gemmie]

A break in the case has been announced.

The Hood River Sheriff’s Office announced early Thursday it will attempt to recover a nine-passenger Ford station wagon from the Columbia River that could be linked to a Portland family missing since 1958.
[...]
The sheriff’s office said an independent diver discovered what they suspect is the Martins’ station wagon near Cascade Locks. The agency released no other information.
Costello said the station wagon is nearly 90% buried and in “pretty good shape,”
Mayo could not determine if the bodies of the Martins and their other daughter are in the car.

The Martin family’s 1958 disappearance shocked Oregon; 67 years later, authorities announce break in case

Officials are attempting to recover from the Columbia River a Ford station wagon that could be linked to the Martin family.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[tealrose]

Omg, I always thought they were at Cascade Locks and not The Dalles... I wonder if they'll be able to determine if the car went off at the spot that's been talked about!

(This case is now the main topic in the Gorge, lol. I'm at work today, so learned about the development from our family chat.)

 

[tealrose]

Where did the other thread go?? The one named for just the one daughter? It had a lot more posts and info.

 

[Warwick1991]

A break in the case has been announced.

The Hood River Sheriff’s Office announced early Thursday it will attempt to recover a nine-passenger Ford station wagon from the Columbia River that could be linked to a Portland family missing since 1958.
[...]
The sheriff’s office said an independent diver discovered what they suspect is the Martins’ station wagon near Cascade Locks. The agency released no other information.
Costello said the station wagon is nearly 90% buried and in “pretty good shape,”
Mayo could not determine if the bodies of the Martins and their other daughter are in the car.

The Martin family’s 1958 disappearance shocked Oregon; 67 years later, authorities announce break in case

Officials are attempting to recover from the Columbia River a Ford station wagon that could be linked to the Martin family.

www.oregonlive.com

Finally... IMO, the theory connecting the son to the disappearance is tenuous. If the car is recovered along with the missing remains, hopefully it can be understood whether it was an accident or foul play.

 

[tealrose]

Hopefully it's ok to share this: Instagram of Jeff Gianola, longtime news anchor KOIN 6

He's posting video updates.

 

[tealrose]

Finally... IMO, the theory connecting the son to the disappearance is tenuous. If the car is recovered along with the missing remains, hopefully it can be understood whether it was an accident or foul play.

I'm not sure about the son, but I'm convinced about the car thieves. Looks to be exactly the same location from what I can tell.

Two options, really: son had something to do with it and knew them from somewhere and they had the gun, or the dad had gun his son had stolen.

That gun is too big a coincidence to be otherwise.

Given that they thought it was used for a beating, perhaps there will be remains with answers.

 

[Gemmie]

After matching a partial plate, officials now say they are 99% sure this is the Martin’s car. A barge with a crane attached is soon set to pull the car out of the river near Cascade Locks.

https://www.koin.com/news/portland/martin-family-1958-disappearance-significant-tip-03062025/

 

[Gemmie]

 

[tealrose]

Today's photos and videos seem to show them working in an area west of the island, near the bridge. (The Jeff Gianola videos I linked to are looking west from the park, so basically back toward the old lock canal from this Google maps link that has a fantastic birds eye view of this area...)

I believe the terrain is the same as it was then, and you can see that there's a shelf that the railroad is on.

My thought is that if someone had simply accidentally gone over the cliff at parking lot speed, they'd have landed on the tracks, NOT gone into the river.

If you turn the view to look straight at where the bridge meets the land, the building to the left (east) of the bridge is the approximate location of the original Charburger Drive In. (Later replaced by a larger sit-down restaurant, and more recently remodeled into the current Bridgeside.)

If I remember right, somewhere along that stretch, or just barely on the west side of the bridge, is where the stolen car and the gun were found.

 

[cenazoic]

Crazy! Never thought they’d find the car. Holy moly!

 

[Gemmie]

Crazy! Never thought they’d find the car. Holy moly!

It was found last fall but announced yesterday.

The station wagon thought to belong to Ken and Barbara Martin was found last fall by Archer Mayo, a diver who had been looking for it for seven years, said Mayo’s representative, Ian Costello. Mayo pinpointed the likely location and dove several times before finding the car upside-down about 50 feet (15 meters) deep, covered in mud, salmon guts, silt and mussel shells, said Costello, who announced the find Wednesday.

Car being pulled from Columbia River might have belonged to Oregon family that vanished in 1958

Authorities are pulling submerged vehicles from the Columbia River, including a car thought to have belonged to a Portland couple who vanished in 1958.

apnews.com

 

[Bree1950]

Today's photos and videos seem to show them working in an area west of the island, near the bridge. (The Jeff Gianola videos I linked to are looking west from the park, so basically back toward the old lock canal from this Google maps link that has a fantastic birds eye view of this area...)

I believe the terrain is the same as it was then, and you can see that there's a shelf that the railroad is on.

My thought is that if someone had simply accidentally gone over the cliff at parking lot speed, they'd have landed on the tracks, NOT gone into the river.

If you turn the view to look straight at where the bridge meets the land, the building to the left (east) of the bridge is the approximate location of the original Charburger Drive In. (Later replaced by a larger sit-down restaurant, and more recently remodeled into the current Bridgeside.)

If I remember right, somewhere along that stretch, or just barely on the west side of the bridge, is where the stolen car and the gun were found.

I was raised in the Columbia Gorge across from this site on the Washington side. I agree! If someone accidentally drove off the road in this location, you would go through an area with trees and thick brush. Then, you would hit the railroad tracks. Then, you would have to continue down the bank on the other side of the tracks, with more trees and brush!!

 

[tarabull]

Salvage crew postpones recovery of missing Oregon family’s station wagon

Authorities cited "significant debris" in the Columbia River.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[Austin023]

I'll admit I was a bit surprised when I read news articles about the car's probably discovery recently. I had long felt recovery of the car after so long as close to nil: that's 66 years of currents, navigation intrusions and damage from other activities like dredging.
Let's hope it is indeed the Martin car and that surviving remains can tell us what really happened. Even just something as simple as was the car's engine running when it went into the water? Or a lot more.