The Unsolved Mystery of an Entire Family's Disappearance

The Martin family consisted of six members: Kenneth, who was 54 at the time of his disappearance; Barbara, 48; Donald, 28; Barbie, 14; Virginia, 12; and Susan, 10. The family lived in Portland, Oregon. Donald lived separately from the family.

On Sunday, December 7, 1958, the day began like any other. The parents decided to go out and gather greenery to decorate their house for the holidays. Around 10:30 AM, the Evans family arrived to have lunch and chat together—a typical Sunday tradition since the Martins and the Evanses were relatives.

After lunch, which neighbors reported ended around 1 or 2 PM, the Martin family got into their cream-and-red, nine-seater Ford Sedan and set off for the Columbia River Gorge. Their car drove out of the street, but it never returned.

The following day, Monday, December 8, it quickly became apparent that something was wrong. Kenneth didn’t show up for work, and the children didn’t attend school.

The first solid lead came on December 23, when the father’s bank statement arrived in the mail. It revealed that the family had paid for 19 liters of gasoline at a gas station in Cascade Locks on the day they disappeared. This transaction occurred at approximately 3:00 PM.

The most credible witness that surfaced afterward was a waitress from a restaurant in Hood River, located about 32 km from Cascade Locks. She reported that the family dined at the Paradise Snack Bar between 4:15 and 4:30 PM.

The family had arrived before dark, ate their meal, and then departed in the direction of Portland. The waitress remembered that the girls and the family seemed cheerful, ordering hamburgers and fries. While they were the most reliable witnesses, other details emerged during the investigation.

The Martins had no financial problems, nor was there any apparent reason for them to disappear voluntarily. During the investigation, a neighbor recalled seeing a black taxi parked in front of the Martin house the morning after their disappearance, on December 8, between 7:20 and 8:20 AM.

On the same day, December 8, a stolen white 1951 Chevrolet was found east of Cascade Locks near Trotters Point. This vehicle would later become significant to the case.

Two fishermen also came forward, claiming they saw the Martin family's car at Trotters Point between 5:00 and 5:30 PM on the day of their disappearance. The car was parked next to another dark-colored vehicle. The fishermen also stated that there was a Christmas tree tied to the Martins’ car.

In January 1959, a .38-caliber automatic handgun was discovered not far from where the stolen car had been found. The weapon had been stolen from a store. Years later, the wife of the man who found the gun claimed that it had dried blood on it.

Meanwhile, a man from Portland who was also searching for the family came across tire tracks near a cliff by the Columbia River. If these tracks belonged to the Martins, and the witness statements were accurate, the family likely reached this spot around 5:00 PM.

On May 1, near the location of the tire tracks, a drilling rig on the river was attempting to anchor when its anchor became snagged on a heavy metal object. The object was too heavy to lift, and the anchor eventually broke, causing the object to sink back into the river. Many speculated that the anchor had caught on the missing car.

On May 3, a report came in that a body had been seen in the Columbia River. Thankfully, the body was recovered before the current could carry it away. It was identified as Susan, the youngest daughter. Then, on May 4, Virginia's body was discovered about 40 kilometers from the same area.

Autopsies revealed that both girls had eaten no more than two hours before their deaths. The contents of their stomachs suggested that the family had likely stopped at the snack bar as witnesses had claimed. Based on the evidence, investigators concluded that the Martins were no longer alive by approximately 6:30 PM on the day of their disappearance.

Divers were brought in to search the area where the anchor had snagged on something, but the conditions were deemed too dangerous, and the effort was abandoned. Since nothing was found, only theories remain about what might have happened.

The leading theory is that the family’s car somehow ended up in the river with all its occupants. When the anchor snagged the vehicle, it likely shifted enough to dislodge the bodies of the two younger girls, who then floated to the surface, while the rest of the family remained inside the car. It’s believed that when the car sank again, it descended to such a depth that it became impossible to locate.

As the exact cause of death for the two recovered girls could not be determined, it remains unclear whether their deaths resulted from murder or a tragic accident.

If it was an accident, the car veered off the road and plunged into the river. If it wasn’t an accident, then two other theories come into play.

There are also two criminals who may have been connected to the family's disappearance. Later investigations revealed that they lived not far from the cliff where the Martins' car is believed to have gone into the water. These two men were at the location on the same day as the family. After the Martins left, the two men also got into their car and drove away shortly afterward.

As previously mentioned, a gun was found near the area where the car was discovered. If these two events are connected, it’s possible that the criminals may have worked with the eldest Martin son, Donald, and were involved in harming the family.

The theory that Donald, the oldest Martin child, had something to do with his family’s disappearance arose because it was discovered that he had previously worked at the store from which the stolen gun found at the scene originated. Donald had been fired after stealing $2,000 worth of merchandise. He allegedly told his boss he stole because his parents had disowned him after he came out to them as homosexual.

Police investigations revealed that the serial number on the recovered gun matched the serial number of the weapon that went missing while Donald was employed at the store. Unfortunately, this lead did not result in solving the case.

It is also notable that the bodies of the two youngest girls were eventually cremated, but Donald never went to collect the ashes. As a result, they remained with the funeral home. Donald passed away in 2004.