Divers salvaged a part of a 1954 station wagon discovered submerged in Oregon’s Columbia River which will have belonged to a household of 5 that vanished simply earlier than Christmas in 1958.
The Martin household, who lived in Portland, disappeared after driving to the Columbia River Gorge that December, looking for a Christmas greenery to brighten their dwelling, reported The Oregonian.
Authorities carried out an intensive seek for the Martins, with native media speculating foul play was concerned. The case gained nationwide consideration.
Months later, the our bodies of the Martin household’s two youngest members — Virginia, 13, and Susan, 11 — had been discovered floating down the river.
The stays of the opposite three, father Kenneth, 54, mom Barbara, 48 and oldest daughter Barbara Lee, 14, had been by no means discovered.
The station wagon’s wreckage was found by a diver in February, on the backside of a large underwater pit he’d been looking for years, satisfied it was the place the household ended up.
On Friday, a part of the automobile was pulled out of the water by officers, based on The Oregonian. The decades-old metallic started to disintegrate because it was lifted to the floor.
Officers didn’t discover any human stays within the automobile, and stated the automotive was largely crammed with rocks.
The automotive’s chassis and motor had been retrieved Friday, and whereas officers suspect it belonged to the Martin household, they gained’t know for certain till they’ve discovered a VIN quantity.
The Oregonian reported the automotive was situated by Archer Mayo, an area diver whose curiosity within the decades-old case began in 2018, and impressed exploratory dives within the Columbia River.
In time, within the Cascade Locks canal, he got here throughout a big part of the river backside that was crammed with particles. He acknowledged the part as a large pit left from the canal’s development and was satisfied the automotive may have landed there and laid undiscovered for many years.
Authorities didn’t say in the event that they plan to attempt to get well the remainder of the automobile.
