Remains found on Washington beach 20 years ago ID'd as former mayor
- - Remains found on Washington beach 20 years ago ID'd as former mayor
Saleen Martin, USA TODAYJanuary 15, 2026 at 11:14 PM
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Remains found on a beach in southwestern Washington in 2006 have been identified through DNA analysis as a former Oregon mayor who authorities think drowned while crabbing.
The remains were identified as Clarence Edwin "Ed" Asher, 72, according to Othram, a Texas-based organization specializing in DNA analysis and forensic genetic genealogy. Asher went crabbing on Sept. 5, 2006, in Tillamook Bay, before his disappearance, the organization stated.
Before identifying Asher, Othram said the mystery surrounding his identity began when someone found skeletal remains in November 2006 on a beach in Washington state.
Authorities initially estimated the man to be between 20 and 60 years old, standing around 5 feet 9 inches tall, Othram said. Posts shared on social media and Crime Solvers Central show that his body was found on the beach in a “moderately advanced level of postmortem decomposition.”
The man was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), known only as Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006).
Here’s how officials and Othram helped Grays Harbor County John Doe regain his name.
Edwin Asher, a former Oregon mayor, who was legally declared dead in 2006. Officials believe he drowned while crabbing in Tillamook Bay on Sept. 5, 2006.Where exactly were the remains found?
The man’s remains were found on a beach in Taholah, a village on a Pacific coast Indian reservation. The beach is part of Grays Harbor County, Othram said in a news release.
Despite several attempts to identify the man, officials were unsuccessful. In 2025, 19 years after the skeletal remains were found, the Grays Harbor County Coroner's Office teamed up with officials in another county, the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
The offices submitted forensic evidence to Othram, where scientists used advanced DNA testing to identify the man. The scientists first had to develop a DNA extract from the evidence collected at the beach, then they used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a DNA profile for the man.
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According to Othram, the company’s forensic genetic genealogy team conducted a genetic genealogy search and passed new leads to investigators. These new leads helped investigators locate relatives of the man, which then allowed them to compare DNA from these family members to the man’s DNA profile.
The DNA matched, identifying the man as Asher, Othram said.
Othram added that Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and the Washington State Legislature helped secure funding to cover the research that led to Asher’s identification.
Who was Clarence Edwin 'Ed' Asher?
Asher was declared legally dead in 2006 after officials determined he likely drowned while crabbing in Tillamook Bay.
According to Asher's online obituary, he was born in Salem, Oregon, in 1934. He moved to Fossil in eastern Oregon in 1952.
He worked as a lineman technician for the Fossil Telephone Company until retiring in 1995. During this period, he also opened Asher's Variety Store in 1965. He served as mayor of Fossil from 1970 to 1978, the city confirmed to USA TODAY on Jan. 15.
He was married for over 20 years to a woman named Helen, and loved antique cars, fishing, boating, hunting, black labs, cooking and RVing, his family wrote in his obituary. He also volunteered as a local fireman and ambulance driver.
When he died in 2006, he left behind his wife, as well as three children, multiple stepchildren, 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remains of former Oregon mayor identified 20 years after discovery
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