The Strange Disappearance of Marvin Clark

Marvin Alvin Clark

Mysterious Circumstances

Unsolved Cold Case

Disappearance: October 30. 1926

Marvin Alvin Clark was an American man who disappeared, on October 30, 1926, under mysterious circumstances while en route to visit his daughter in Portland, Oregon during the Halloween weekend, 1926. Clark’s case has the distinction of being the oldest active missing person case in the United States.

On October 30, 1926, Marvin Clark departed his home in Tigard to meet his daughter in downtown Portland. He never arrived to meet his daughter, and none of his family made contact with him that day. Some witnesses claimed to have seen Clark at a bus terminal in Portland that day, dressed in a dark suit and slacks. Over a week later, on November 9, Clark’s wife Mary received a postcard from Bellingham, Washington, apparently sent from her husband. Several witnesses in the area claimed to have seen him there between November 2 and November 3.

In 1986, a John Doe was discovered in a wooded area between Portland and Tigard; these remains were estimated to have been between 35 and 55 years old at the time of death, and several mementos from the late-19th and early-20th centuries were discovered along with the body, leading detectives to suspect the remains were Clark’s. Reports of this potential connection made national headlines in 2011. However, in 2018, it was determined through DNA testing that these remains were not those of Clark. As of 2018, Clark’s whereabouts remain unknown.

The Strange Disappearance of Marvin Clark

In 2011, Dr. Niki Vance of the Oregon state medical examiner’s office revisited Clark’s missing person file, and forensic pathologists were able to retrieve sufficient DNA from the skeletal remains of the John Doe, which had remained in storage since its 1986 discovery. In a 2014 article published by The Oregonian, it was stated that the medical examiners were unable to locate maternal descendants of Clark in order to make a positive identification. “They’re looking for a maternal link,” said Vance. “Someone on his mother’s side, and following that lineage to shore it up. There’s an association there but it’s not strong at this point.”

In 2018, KOIN-TV reported that Pam Knowles, a great-great-granddaughter of Clark, provided DNA samples along with her son to determine whether or not the remains of the John Doe were in fact Clark’s^. These DNA samples were sent to the University of North Texas for comparison, whereupon it was determined that the remains were not those of Clark.

As of 2018, the identity of the John Doe’s remains is unknown. The DNA samples provided by Knowles and her son remain on file with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System database for potential future comparison.

Rian Hakla, a Multnomah County police officer, stated: “If at any point in the future bones are sent in and it’s Marvin, we will get a positive identification. And who’s to say he won’t get found by a hunter or a landscaper or developer or something like that happens. So, there’s still a chance he could be found.