Barbara Martin Missing Person Case

Jun 13, 2013

Jan 08, 2024

Barbara

Martin

81

15

63 inches

125 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On a winter day in December 1958, 14-year-old Barbara Martin, affectionately known as Barbie, vanished along with her entire family from Portland, Oregon. The family, consisting of her parents, Kenneth and Barbara, and her two younger sisters, Susan and Virginia, had embarked on what should have been a festive outing. They left their home on Northeast 57th Avenue in their cream and red Ford station wagon with the intention of gathering Christmas greenery in the scenic Columbia River Gorge. They were never seen alive again. Their sudden disappearance left behind a home with wrapped Christmas presents, a chilling testament to a family outing that ended in tragedy. The initial search for the family was hampered by a lack of concrete leads, leaving friends, family, and law enforcement to wonder what had become of the Martins on that fateful day. The investigation into the Martin family's disappearance unfolded over several months, marked by periods of uncertainty and grim discoveries. A significant break in the case came when tire tracks were found at the base of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River near The Dalles. These tracks matched the type of tires on the Martin family's Ford station wagon. This discovery led authorities to focus their search efforts on the river. In the spring of 1959, the bodies of the two younger Martin sisters, Susan and Virginia, were recovered from the Columbia River near Bonneville Dam. This heartbreaking discovery confirmed the worst fears of those involved in the search, indicating that the family's vehicle had likely gone into the river. Despite the recovery of the two youngest children, the fate of Barbara and her parents remained a mystery for a considerable time. The search for Kenneth, Barbara Sr., and young Barbie continued, transitioning from a rescue mission to a recovery effort. The community held onto a sliver of hope, but as time passed, the likelihood of finding them alive diminished. The case of the missing Martin family became a haunting local story, a reminder of how quickly a festive family outing could turn into an unimaginable tragedy. Ultimately, it was concluded that the entire family had perished. Regrettably, Barbara Martin was located deceased, bringing a sorrowful end to the search for the 14-year-old girl and her parents. The case stands as a somber event in Oregon's history, a story of a family lost on a simple holiday errand, leaving behind unanswered questions and a legacy of loss that has not been forgotten.

Dec 07, 1958

Portland

Oregon

Multnomah County

No

22614

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Portland

Oregon

Multnomah County

97214

501 Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, Suite 350, Oregon

5039884300

County

Law Enforcement

https://www.mcso.us/site/

57457

Multnomah County Sheriff's Office

Blond/Strawberry

Unknown

Unknown

Yes

05/26/2026