Completed: Skeletal remains discovered on a Washington state beach nearly two decades ago have been formally identified as Clarence Edwin “Ed” Asher, a former Oregon mayor who disappeared in 2006, and this identification has driven renewed public search interest. Asher was declared legally dead after he vanished during a fishing trip and the remains were linked to him through advanced DNA testing completed in 2025.

On September 5, 2006, Asher, 72 at the time, failed to return from a crabbing trip in Tillamook Bay, Oregon, prompting a Coast Guard search that was later suspended. nearly two months after his disappearance, skeletal remains were found on a beach in Taholah on the central Washington coast and recorded as an unidentified individual.

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office and Coroner’s Office originally could not determine the identity of the remains and entered the case into a national missing persons database. In 2025, forensic evidence from the case was submitted to a DNA laboratory in Texas where scientists used genetic genealogy to develop a comprehensive DNA profile.

Investigators compared the profile with samples from Asher’s relatives, leading to a positive identification of the remains as Asher’s. Officials confirmed the identification during a follow-up investigation tied to the cold case, bringing closure to a long-standing mystery.

Asher had been legally declared dead in 2006 after authorities presumed he drowned during the trip, and no body was recovered at the time. The recent identification marks one of many cold cases resolved through modern forensic techniques involving DNA analysis.

At this stage, authorities have not announced any additional findings beyond the identification itself. The case highlights the role of genetic genealogy in resolving longstanding unidentified remains and providing answers for families.

Sources

Skeletal remains found on WA beach identified as former Oregon mayor – KIRO 7 News
Former Oregon mayor missing since 2006 identified through skeleton found on beach – NDTV
Skeleton washed ashore on beach identified as mayor who vanished 20 years ago – LADbible
Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006) is identified using forensic genealogy – DNASolves