Remains of Missing Oregon Mayor Identified After 20 Years
Skeletal remains discovered in Washington State have been identified as those of Edwin Asher, the former mayor of Fossil, Oregon, who disappeared in 2006. Asher vanished while crabbing in Tillamook Bay, leading to the assumption that he drowned and was declared dead that same year. Despite the discovery of skeletal remains in a Washington County in November of 2006, the individual remained unidentified until the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office and Othram, a forensic genetic genealogy lab, employed genome sequencing and genetic genealogy, ultimately leading to the identification of the remains as Asher. The identification was confirmed after comparison to a relative’s DNA, ending the 20-year mystery of his disappearance.
John Q. Hosedrinker