The Martin family of Portland, Oregon, disappeared on December 7, 1958. Among the missing were Kenneth Martin, 54; his wife, Barbara Martin, 48; and their three daughters: Barbara, 14; Virginia, 13; and Susan, 11. The whereabouts of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain unknown, and their vehicle has never been recovered. Several months after their disappearance, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were discovered downstream on the shores of the Columbia River, roughly 30 miles apart from each other.
About Martin family disappearance in brief
The Martin family of Portland, Oregon, disappeared on December 7, 1958. Among the missing were Kenneth Martin, 54; his wife, Barbara Martin, 48; and their three daughters: Barbara, 14; Virginia, 13; and Susan, 11. The whereabouts of Kenneth, Barbara, and Barbie remain unknown, and their vehicle has never been recovered. Several months after their disappearance, the bodies of Susan and Virginia were discovered downstream on the shores of the Columbia River, roughly 30 miles apart from each other. Police initially speculated the family’s car may have crashed into the river, though the circumstances surrounding the event could not be fully explained. Further complicating the case was the discovery of a stolen handgun and the arrest of two ex-convicts in the area the day after the family’s disappearance. The family’s disappearance has been described as one of the \”most baffling\” mysteries in Oregon history, and sparked the greatest manhunt the state had undertaken at the time. The Martins’ eldest son, Donald, was in the United States Navy and stationed in New York during the time they vanished. A waiter at the Meier and Frank department store in Hood River, which raised suspicion in relation to the disappearance, was arrested for theft in connection with the Martins’ abandoned Chevrolet.
A Colt 38 Commander handgun, which had been disposed of in the bushes, was turned over to law enforcement but never processed for evidence. The gun’s serial number was traced to a number that had been among several items that Donald Martin had been accused of stealing while working at a Meier and Meier store two years prior to his disappearance. A load of laundry was still in the washing machine, and dishes from the previous day were left on a drying rack in the kitchen; there was also a substantial amount of money in the Martin’s bank accounts. The house had been left undisturbed; a load of laundered clothes were still on the kitchen table, and there was a large sum of money left in the bank accounts of the family. The couple had made plans for a day trip into the country for the following day. In the late morning of December 6, 1958, Kenneth and Barbara left their home with their 3 daughters: Barbie, Susan, and Virginia, in their 1954 cream and red-colored Ford Country Squire station wagon. According to eyewitnesses who saw the family that day, Kenneth was reportedly wearing a tan zip-up jacket and dark slacks, while Barbara wore a navy blue coat, a plaid jacket, and a black print dress.
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This page is based on the article Martin family disappearance published in Wikipedia (as of Jan. 04, 2021) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
