Account
Mar 04, 2013
Jan 08, 2024
Raj
Narain
61
24
60 inches
120 lbs
Asian
Female
In a case that remained a mystery for two decades, 24-year-old Raj Mati Narain, a native of Fiji, was last seen on September 7, 1987, in Eugene, Oregon, where she lived with her husband, Ashok Kumar Narain, and their young daughter. The story of her disappearance and the subsequent investigation is a sad tale that crosses continents and spans years of uncertainty. Raj, born Raj Mati Prasad, was the youngest of eleven children and grew up in Fiji, where she married Ashok in an arranged ceremony in 1983. Shortly after their wedding, the couple immigrated to the United States, settling in Eugene. Raj kept in touch with her family in Fiji through letters, but sometime in 1987, the letters suddenly stopped. Initially, her family was not overly concerned, attributing the silence to the demands of motherhood. However, as years turned into more than a decade with no word, her brother, Jai Prasad, who had since moved to Australia, began an online search for his sister and niece in 2004, but found no trace of them. The tragic truth began to unfold in September 1987, though it wouldn't be connected to Raj for nearly twenty years. On September 11, 1987, the headless and legless torso of a woman was discovered in the Lewis River in Woodland, Washington. A few days later, a pair of legs believed to belong to the same woman were found in the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. Then, on September 24, the body of a young child was found in the Cowlitz River in Kelso, Washington. Despite the recovery of the remains, their identities remained unknown. It wasn't until 2006 that a significant breakthrough occurred. After seeing a sketch of the unidentified child online, Jai Prasad felt a strong conviction that it was his niece, Kamnee. He contacted the authorities, and this led to a renewed investigation. DNA samples were provided by Raj's relatives in Fiji, and in September 2007, the remains were positively identified as those of Raj Mati Narain and her 14-month-old daughter, Kamnee. Raj was also discovered to have been about two months pregnant at the time of her death. The identification of mother and daughter brought some answers but also raised more questions, primarily surrounding the whereabouts of Ashok Narain. He has not been seen or heard from since around the time his wife and child were murdered. Law enforcement considers him a person of interest in their deaths, though it is also possible he was a victim. There are theories that Ashok could have been responsible for the murders and fled, possibly back to Fiji or to another part of North America. Another theory suggests that the entire family may have been victims of a violent crime. The case remains unsolved, and Ashok is still listed as a missing person. The investigation into the homicides of Raj and Kamnee continues, with law enforcement agencies in both Washington and Oregon involved. The story of Raj Mati Narain is a heartbreaking account of a young family's life cut short, and the enduring quest for justice by their loved ones, a poignant narrative that began with letters from a new life in America and ended in a decades-long search for the truth.
Sep 07, 1987
Eugene
Oregon
Lane County
No
13191
Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office
Kelso
Washington
Cowlitz County
98626
Ryan Cruser
Sergeant
312 Southwest 1st Avenue, Washington
3605773092
County
Law Enforcement
1987-8753
1987-09-11
Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office
Black
Brown
Brown
05/31/2026
