Diver & amateur investigator finds car in Columbia River Gorge, a breakthrough in 1958 cold case
2 min read
A dive team is working to recover a car from the Columbia River near Cascade Locks on Thursday, possibly bringing closure to the case of a missing family that has remained open for more than six decades.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office believes they’ve found a vehicle connected to the 1958 case of the Martin Family.
Back on December 7, 1958, Kenneth and Barbara Martin took their three daughters, ages 11, 13, and 14, to go look for Christmas wreath greenery in the Columbia River Gorge. They never returned home.
"Months later, the bodies of two of the Martin daughters, Virginia, 13, and Susan, 11, were discovered in the Columbia River—one near Camas, Washington, and the other near Bonneville Dam," the sheriff’s office said. "Investigators speculated that the family’s vehicle may have entered the river, prompting extensive dive operations over the years."
Recently, however, local diver and amateur investigator Archer Mayo discovered what investigators think is the family’s vehicle in the river, sparking renewed interest in the decades-old mystery.
We talked with Mayo on March 6, 2025 as crews worked to pull the vehicle up from the depths of the Columbia River.
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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: March 7, 2025, 3:00 am.
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