Car in Columbia River may solve 1958 family mystery

A car that was found in the Columbia River may belong to a family that disappeared nearly 70 years ago. The car is a station wagon, and it could be linked to the Martin family from Oregon. They vanished while looking for Christmas greenery in 1958.

Efforts to recover the vehicle will continue this Friday. It was found last fall by Archer Mayo, a diver who had been looking for it for seven years. He found the car upside down, buried in mud and debris about 50 feet under the water.

The Martin family left with the car

On December 7, 1958, Ken Martin and his family, including three daughters, left for the mountains to collect holiday greenery. They never returned. Investigators found that Ken Martin had made a gas station purchase near Cascade Locks before they disappeared. There was speculation that the family’s car may have crashed into a remote area or a waterway.

Five months later, the body of one of the daughters, Sue Martin, was found in a slough. Her sister Virginia’s body was found the next day further upstream. The rest of the family was never found, even after many search efforts.

A long search

The case drew a lot of attention over the years. A $1,000 reward was offered for information about the family’s disappearance. Don Martin, the family’s son, believed his family had died and shared his thoughts with the press. Despite ongoing searches, no more bodies were found.

Discovery of the car

Archer Mayo, the diver, has worked for years to find lost items in rivers. He turned to the Martin family’s case after studying a sinking in 2017. Through his research and diving, he found the vehicle’s location. The car was buried under mud, and Mayo’s discovery was a major break in a mystery that had lasted for decades.

Before Mayo could reach the station wagon, he had to remove other cars nearby. One of the cars is known, while the other is a Volkswagen that has not been identified. It’s not clear if there are any bodies in these vehicle, but it is part of the ongoing recovery operation.

Mystery remains

The car may belong to Ken and Barbara Martin, but experts aren’t sure yet because of the mud covering it. Authorities have not said if they expect to find the bodies of the other missing family members inside the car. But the discovery has sparked hope that this long-unsolved case might finally be coming to an end.