CASCADE LOCKS — For the last seven years, Archer Mayo has self-funded an exhaustive research project to reconcile the record regarding the 1958 disappearance of five members of the Ken Martin family from their home in NE Portland.
Ken, his wife Barbara, and their three daughters went for a December Sunday afternoon drive to look for Christmas greens, and vanished. In the fall of 2024, Mayo found the Martins’ car hidden in an architectural anomaly under 60 feet of water and seven feet of debris in the Cascade Locks canal. The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office conducted an operation in the spring of 2025 to remove the car from the river. Several pieces were brought to the surface and are now in the possession of HRCSO.
The remainder of the car remains in the canal. During subsequent dives in the summer of 2025, Mayo uncovered human remains and conclusive, physical evidence tying those remains to the Martin family within what was left of the car. That material has been turned over to investigators.
Within the last several days, after being contacted by a reporter, it became clear that at least one media outlet was preparing to publish a story on what Mayo had found. Out of respect for the remaining members of the Martin family and in consideration of public interest in the case, he confirmed it. While realizing that there is nothing he can bring back from beneath the sediment and debris at the bottom of the river that would extinguish long-standing conspiracy theories, Archer hopes his dedication and successful search will provide solace to those who have spent the last 67 years seeking answers.
Plans are in development to honor the Martin family with a ceremony at Cascade Locks in the coming months.
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