Cascade Locks, Oregon was the scene of a significant discovery made when, after two days of intense excavation, a crane succeeded in extracting an old Ford station wagon from the depths of the Columbia River. The vehicle, eradicated from its watery abyss on a Friday afternoon – in a procedure spearheaded within a span of roughly ten minutes – is presumed to be the vanishing vehicle of an Oregon family who mysteriously vanished over six decades ago during their annual pursuit of Christmas foliage. However, the penalizing conditions of time had imparted considerable damage to the vehicle, the body of which became detached during the extraction, resulting in only the skeletal frame and wheels finding their way ashore.
Upon securing its removal from the harsh river environment, plans were laid out to carefully encase the vehicle and transport it to a secure warehouse. Here, forensic teams will apply their skills towards extracting more information about the vehicle and its last known occupants. Preliminary examinations from officials familiar with the case have led to strong convictions that the retrieved vehicle is indeed the one they’ve been pursuing, firmly supported by similarities in physical attributes and other distinctive features.
The disappearance of the Martin family had drawn indelible attention from the national audience during that time, propelling rumors of potential foul play. The pervasive mystery had been further heightened by a reward of $1,000 put forth in hopes of generating useful leads to their whereabouts. The ensuing search proved to be a challenging one, wrestling with the scarcity of clues and often, the prevailing logic of where to seek evidence leading to the family’s whereabouts.
An unsettling discovery came months afterwards in 1959 when the bodies of two of the Martin children surfaced in the very same river. Unfortunately, follow-up searches failed to uncover the rest of the family, leaving their fates and whereabouts undecided till this day. Salutary recovery attempts were paused shortly prior to nightfall on the previous Thursday and recommenced early on Friday. Amid these efforts, crews were tasked with eradicating large amounts of sediment that had progressively engulfed the trapped vehicle.
The recovered station wagon is suspected to be the vehicle owned by Ken and Barbara Martin. This conclusion was reached based on ongoing research work by a committed diver, whose relentless exploration spanning over seven years finally resulted in the uncanny discovery made last fall. The diver managed to locate and retrieve the vehicle, discernible through layers of accumulated mud, marine waste, and summer deposits, and resting upside down in the chilling depths, approximately 50 feet below.
This revelation has sparked significant developments in an enduring mystery that Portland has carried in its collective memory for over 66 years. Moving forward, efforts will be invested towards identifying the engine and chassis numbers of the vehicle to solidify links to the missing Martins’ family vehicle. However, the remainder of the vehicle body, unfortunately, appears destined to remain submerged and undisturbed in the river depths.
Tracing back on the ill-fated journey, The Martins were known to have embarked on a journey with their three daughters – Barbara, aged 14; Virginia, aged 13; and Sue, aged 11 – on December 7, 1958. Their destination was the mountains, where they intended to gather Christmas decor. Accompanying this narrative were the poignant remnants left behind – Sunday newspaper comic clippings littered across their home, unfinished chores, and a home abandoned in the anticipation of a return that tragically never happened.
The search for the Martin family gained traction after officials learned of a recent fuel purchase made by Ken Martin using a credit card, pointing them to a gas station situated near Cascade Locks. This clue, partnered with a reported sighting of a family matching the Martin’s description around sunset at the Paradise Snack Bar, gave the officials new lead. According to the report, the family was out on a quest for a Christmas tree, enjoying a meal of hamburgers, fries, milk, and dessert for a total ticket of $4.15.
Five long months after they had disappeared, the lifeless body of their youngest daughter was found floating aimlessly in a slough of the Columbia River. Susan’s body is believed to have been swept away from the submerged wreckage by the powerful spring currents and ultimately deposited near Camas, Washington. Just 24 hours later and roughly 25 miles upstream, the heart-wrenching discovery of Virginia Martin’s body added further grim milestones to the family’s tragic timeline.
However, the other members of the Martin family were never located, even as the ongoing search endured. In a poignant twist to the narrative, their eldest son Don Martin, a 28-year-old, Marine veteran, and Columbia University graduate student living in New York at the time of the tragedy, expressed his fear and belief of his family members’ likely demise.
The case had gripped the public interest greatly, fueled further by the recent discovery by the diver. Alongside part of the vehicle’s license plate number and several other identifiers, this led the local sheriff’s office, the Columbia Gorge major crimes unit, and the Oregon State Crime Lab, to coordinate the vehicle’s extraction from the depths of the Columbia River. The discovery has reignited hopes of potentially reconciling a case that has haunted, puzzled, and saddened those involved and the community at large for 66 years.