Police report number: 1958-57457
Reported missing date: December 7, 1958
Missing persons:
- Kenneth Martin, 54, 5' 10", 200 pounds, gray hair, crew cut, blue eyes, wears glasses
- Barbara Jean Martin, 48, 5' 8 to 5' 10", 180 pounds, dark brown hair, blue eyes
- Barbara Martin, 14, 5' 5", 120 pounds, blue eyes
- Virginia Martin, 13, 5' 3", 110 pounds, wears glasses
- Susan Margaret Martin, 11, 5' 1", 100 pounds, hazel eyes
Race: White
Considered one of the region’s most enduring missing persons cases, the disappearance of the Martin family in 1958, remains unsolved.
On December 7, 1958, MCSO took a report after a neighbor reported missing, Kenneth and Barbara Martin, along with their three daughters, ages 11, 13, and 14. The family had told neighbors they planned to visit the Columbia River Gorge to gather greenery for Christmas wreaths, but 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. Investigators speculated that the family’s vehicle may have entered the river, prompting extensive dive operations over the years by both the Hood River County and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Offices.
Search operations and investigative efforts by law enforcement and private investigators have occurred throughout the decades and continue today.
Report a tip to 503-988-0560 or by email tips@mcso.us.