At a Glance
- Skeletal remains found on a Washington beach in 2006 have been identified as former Fossil, Oregon mayor Edwin Asher
- Asher vanished while crabbing in Tillamook Bay on September 5, 2006, and was declared dead the same year
- Genetic genealogy lab Othram matched DNA from the remains to a relative, ending the 18-year cold case
- Why it matters: The case highlights how forensic genetic genealogy is closing decades-old unidentified-remains cases nationwide
A fisherman’s discovery of bones along the Quinault coast has given a family closure and revealed the final chapter in the story of a small-town mayor who disappeared at sea nearly two decades ago.
Discovery on the Reservation Shore
In November 2006, tribal members in Taholah, Washington, alerted authorities after spotting human remains among the driftwood. The village, located on the Quinault Indian Reservation in Grays Harbor County, sits roughly 124 miles north of Tillamook Bay, the spot where Edwin Asher was last seen alive two months earlier.
Deputies and the coroner collected the bones and logged what details they could:
- Adult male
- Height: 5-foot-9
- Weight estimate: 170-180 pounds
- Age range: anywhere from 20 to 60-plus years
With no wallet, watch, or identifying marks, the man became another entry in the nation’s long list of unidentified remains: “Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006).”
A Mayor Lost at Sea
Asher, known locally as “Ed,” had spent the morning of September 5, 2006, crabbing in Tillamook Bay. When he failed to return, the Coast Guard launched an extensive search. Days stretched into weeks; no trace of the 72-year-old mayor surfaced. A judge legally declared him dead later that year, and the town of Fossil-population barely 450-mourned a civic pillar who had served as mayor, volunteer firefighter, and ambulance driver.
The Science That Broke the Case
By 2023, the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner decided to try a tool that had not existed when the bones first washed ashore. Evidence was sent to Othram, a Texas-based forensic genetic genealogy laboratory specializing in extracting DNA from degraded remains.
Lab scientists performed genome sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile. Genealogists then compared that profile to public ancestry databases, building family trees that pointed to potential relatives. Investigators contacted those relatives, collected reference DNA samples, and ran the comparisons again. The result: a positive match to Clarence Edwin “Ed” Asher, born April 2, 1934.
A Life Remembered
Raised in Astoria and born in Salem, Asher moved to Fossil in 1952. He spent 43 years as a lineman technician for the Fossil Telephone Company, retiring in 1995. In 1965 he opened Asher’s Variety Store, a Main Street fixture for decades. Friends recalled his passion for antique cars, fishing trips, and community service. He and his wife celebrated more than two decades of marriage; children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren survive him.
Why the Identification Took So Long
When Asher vanished, DNA testing of human remains relied on older methods that needed large, high-quality samples. The salt-water environment further complicated preservation. Advances in next-generation sequencing now allow labs like Othram to recover usable genetic data from minute, highly degraded fragments. Coupled with the millions of profiles in public genealogy databases, those technological leaps are solving cases once considered hopeless.
Rising Trend in Cold-Case Breakthroughs
The Grays Harbor John Doe identification is the latest in a string of successes attributed to forensic genetic genealogy. Law-enforcement agencies across the country are reopening decades-old files, submitting bone fragments, blood spots, or even single hairs to specialized labs. The technique has identified victims of serial killers, named unknown homicide victims, and, as in Asher’s case, resolved accidental-death mysteries that left families in limbo.
Community Reaction
Fossil’s current city leadership received word of the match this week. News Of Fort Worth has reached out for comment; officials indicated they will coordinate with Asher’s family on any public remembrance. Local residents posting on social media expressed relief that the mayor they remembered for his ready smile and dedication to the town had finally been found.
Key Takeaways
- Edwin Asher disappeared while crabbing in Tillamook Bay on September 5, 2006; his remains washed ashore two months later but went unidentified for 18 years
- Genetic genealogy lab Othram matched DNA from those remains to a relative, giving the family certainty about his fate
- The breakthrough illustrates how advances in DNA technology and public ancestry databases are rewriting the final chapters of America’s unidentified-dead cases
