CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (KOIN) -- For more than 66 years, the mystery of what happened to the Martin Family of Northeast Portland lingered over the region. But now it appears the mystery is over.
Artifacts and images recovered by diver Archer Mayo in recent months have seemingly confirmed the suspicions: Ken and Barbara Martin and their three daughters Virginia, Sue and Barbie plunged to their deaths in December 1958 while taking a drive in the Columbia River Gorge.
Last March, KOIN 6 News broke the story on the discovery of a vehicle in the waters of Cascade Locks matching Martin’s car. But when a crane lifted it, the chassis broke off and left most of the car buried in silt and mud.
On Monday, Mayo made his last dive to recover any final remains and artifacts from the Martin's 1954 Ford station wagon. During this summer, Mayo returned to the wreckage and carefully excavated the interior of the car, bringing human bones and various items to the surface.
On this final dive, Mayo brought up what appear to be the remnants of shoes Barbara Martin was wearing. The rubber soles are intact but the canvas disintegrated over the years.
Diver Archer Mayo holds items recovered in a dive that found the Martin Family's 1954 Ford Station Wagon at Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo holds the remnants of a shoe believed to be Barbara Martin's, recovered in a dive that found the Martin Family's 1954 Ford Station Wagon at Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo recovered a case with Ken Martin's name and address in a dive that found the Martin Family's 1954 Ford Station Wagon at Cascade Locks, August 2025 (Archer Mayo)
Diver Archer Mayo holds seat belt buckles recovered in a dive that found the Martin Family's 1954 Ford Station Wagon at Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo displayed window cranks recovered in a dive that found the Martin Family's 1954 Ford Station Wagon at Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo took one final dive at the Martin Family car site in Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo emerges from a dive at the Martin Family car site in Cascade Locks, August 25, 2025 (KOIN)
"There's a wooden suitcase in the back, but the wood's all collapsed and that's the handle off of it," Mayo said as he showed the items he brought up. "And then these were. Barb, these are the remains of Barbara's shoes, the mother, which I was able to get most of her body out of there."
He also found seat belts.
"There's two of these. So the seat belts were aftermarket. And so people would have bought them at Sears or Montgomery Wards and put them in their car, because the cars didn't have them," he said. "And so these are two of the buckles that were from the back seat. And then the dome light of the car and then a broken, just a broken window crank."
Old newspaper clippings about the Martin Family disappearance in 1958 (KOIN, file)
Gloria Graven, the daughter of Detective Walter Graven, talks about the 1958 disappearance of the Martin Family in Cascade Locks, March 7, 2025 (KOIN)
A partial license plate, likely from the missing Martin Family car from 1958, was found in Cascade Locks, March 7, 2025 (Archer Mayo)
The emblem from a Ford, likely from the missing Martin Family car from 1958, was found in Cascade Locks, March 7, 2025 (Archer Mayo)
Car parts, including the engine, likely connected to the Martin Family car missing since 1958 was taken to a Hood River County crime lab, March 7, 2025 (KOIN)
A giant crane pulled up an engine from what is likely the Martin Family car missing since 1958 in Cascade Locks, March 7, 2025 (KOIN)
Diver Archer Mayo discovered the wreckage of what is likely the Martin Family car missing since 1958 in the Cascade Locks, March 7, 2025 (KOIN)
Pieces of a station wagon believed to be tied to the Martin Family disappearance in 1958 being pulled from the Columbia River on Friday, March 7, 2025. (Credit: KOIN)
Investigators continue the search for what is believed to be the Martin family car on Mar. 7, 2025. (KOIN)
A barge arrives to pull what investigators believe to be the Martin family car out of the Columbia River, Mar. 6, 2025. (KOIN)
The underwater remains of a car believed to belong to the Martin family, who disappeared in 1958. March 2025. (Archer Mayo)
Detective Walter Graven (left) speaks to Don Martin when he returns to Portland to settle the family estate. (Graven family)
A report from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office detailing the discovery of a girl’s body near Bonneville Dam. The body is later identified as Virginia Martin. (Graven family)
A gas station receipt from a Chevron station in Cascade Locks shows Ken Martin purchased five gallons of gas on the afternoon the family vanished. (KOIN Archives)
Aerial photo of Cascade Locks, Ore. taken in 1958. According to the official report, the Ken Martin accidentally backed the family car into the river here on the afternoon of Dec. 7, 1958. (KOIN Archives)
Coverage of the search for the Martin Family features pictures of Barbara, Virginia and Susan Martin in the Oregon Journal. (Oregon Journal)
Coverage of the search for the Martin Family in the Columbia River near Cascade Locks from the Oregon Journal. (Oregon Journal)
Seen here in his Navy uniform, Don Martin was somewhat estranged from his family and living on the East Coast when his father, mother and three sisters vanished. (Graven family)
An undated photo of the 1954 Ford Country Station Wagon the Martins drove into the Columbia River Gorge on Dec. 7, 1958. (KOIN Archives)
The Martin family loved Christmas. Barbara, Virginia and Susan Martin sit in a sleigh during a neighborhood Christmas celebration. (KOIN Archives)
The Martin family loved Christmas. Barbara, Virginia and Susan Martin sing carols during a neighborhood Christmas celebration. (KOIN Archives)
The Martin family loved Christmas. Ken Martin is seen here dressed as Santa Clause with two unidentified boys. (KOIN Archives)
A glimpse of the Martin Family home in Northeast Portland taken during the investigation into the family’s disappearance. (Graven Family)
In this undated photo, Ken and Barbara Martin sit on the couch in their living room with son Don and the three girls. (KOIN Archives)
Mayo also recovered a camera and case with Ken Martin's name and address on it, as well as a pair of what are believed to be his shoes.
He also recovered more human remains and handed those over to a Hood River sheriff's deputy. The remains are now in the hands of the Oregon state forensic investigators who will examine them to see if there are any clues as to why the Martin family ended up in the bottom of the Cascade Locks.
"I mean, the car rolled quite a bit on its way into the pit. And so there was quite a bit of damage. Things were really disheveled," Mayo told KOIN 6 News.
There were many theories about what happened to the Martins. But Mayo has always believed they accidentally drove into the waters at Cascade Locks.
The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office hasn't yet said much, only that the case remains under investigation.