An Oregon Family Went Missing During Car Ride in 1958.
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Police Believe They Just Found Their Vehicle in a River
The Martin family reportedly disappeared after going shopping for a Christmas tree in December 1958
By Becca Longmire
Searchers return to the spot in 1999, where they believed the Martin family may have disappeared and compared the scene with a photo of it from 1959
The spot where it's thought the Martin family may have disappeared pictured in 1999 and 1959. Photo: The Oregonian via AP, file
A car believed to belong to a family that went missing almost 70 years ago is set to be pulled from a river in Oregon, authorities have said.
The Martin family vanished in December 1958 after heading to find a Christmas tree in their Ford station wagon, per The Oregonian.
Ken and Barbara Martin were thought to have taken their daughters Barbara, 14, Virginia, 13, and Sue, 11, on a ride to the mountains for the greenery, per previous Associated Press reports. However, they never returned.
The news agency stated that authorities looking for the missing family managed to narrow down the search to the Cascade Locks near the Columbia River after learning that Ken Martin had used a credit card to buy gas at a station in the area.
The body of the youngest daughter Sue, 11, was discovered in the river near Camas, Washington, around five months after the family went missing, per the AP, before 13-year-old Virginia's body was found the following day approximately 25 miles upstream from where Sue's remains were discovered. The rest of the family hasn't been found.
The Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family, from left, Barbara, 7; Ken, Barbara, Sue, 4; Donald, 21; and Virginia, 6; in Portland, Ore., in December 1952
1952 Christmas photo of the Ken Martin family, from left, Barbara, 7; Ken, Barbara, Sue, 4; Donald, 21; and Virginia, 6. Ken Martin family via AP, File
On Thursday, March 6, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office confirmed officers were "attempting to recover a vehicle from the Columbia River near Cascade Locks."
"This vehicle is believed to be associated with the 1958 missing persons case involving the Martin Family," a Facebook post stated, adding, "An independent diver discovered what is believed to be the vehicle the family was last seen in. This is an active investigation, and further details will be available at a later time."
Per the AP, authorities called off the search just before dark on Thursday evening and will continue to attempt to get the vehicle out of the water on Friday, March 7.
United States Navy Pharmacist's mate Donald Martin looks at a 1952 Christmas photo of his missing family at Ft. Schuyler in New York city, on April 2 1959
Donald Martin pictured in 1959 looking at a 1952 Christmas photo of his missing family. AP Photo
The news agency reported that the vehicle had been found by diver Archer Mayo, who discovered it upside down at around 50 feet deep in the water after searching for it for seven years. The diver's representative, Ian Costello, said the car was covered in salmon guts, silt and mussel shells.
Mayo reportedly found other cars nearby, and Costello said those vehicles will need to be removed before the station wagon comes out, per the AP.
Hood River County sheriff’s deputy, Pete Hughes, said of what they think is the Martin family car, “We’re not 100% sure it’s the car. It’s mostly encased in mud and debris, so we don’t know what to expect when we pull it out of the water today," the news agency reported.
“We don’t know what we will find,” the officer said when questioned whether he thought they'd find bodies in the other vehicles, the AP stated.
The home of the missing Ken Martin family in Portland, Ore., April 2, 1959
The home of the missing Martin family. AP Photo, File
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“More than circumstantial evidence points us to believe it’s the Martin car,” Sheriff Matt English told reporters on Thursday, reported The Oregonian.
“Even though this is 66 years ago, this is a tragedy. We need to determine to the best of our ability what happened to this family,” English said, according to the outlet, while talking about treating the Martin family case like any other investigation.
The Martins also had a 28-year-old son Don, a former Marine who was a graduate student at Colombia University in New York at the time, the AP reported.
The Hood River County Sheriff's Office and Ian Costello didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
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