DNA confirms remains found in car in a river are of Oregon family missing since 1958
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- DNA analysis has confirmed that remains found in a car submerged in the Columbia River belong to the Martin family, who went missing in Oregon in 1958 while searching for Christmas greenery.
- The remains identified include parents Kenneth and Barbara Martin and their daughter Barbie; the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office found no evidence of foul play after concluding its investigation.
- The family’s Ford station wagon was discovered in 2024 by a diver after years of searching, with only the vehicle frame and some components retrieved due to sediment encasement.
- Two of the Martin children’s bodies were found shortly after the disappearance, but the rest of the family remained missing until the recent discovery of remains and car wreckage.
- DNA profiling matched the remains with relatives of the Martin family, providing closure to a decades-old mystery that had once been a national news story with speculation about potential foul play.
