Former Oregon Mayor Skeletal Remains Identified After 20 Years

Authorities officially identified human remains found on a Washington beach in 2006 as Clarence Edwin "Ed" Asher, a former mayor of Fossil, Oregon. 

Discovery and Identification

• Disappearance: Asher was 72 years old when he disappeared on September 5, 2006, while crabbing in Tillamook Bay, Oregon. He was presumed to have drowned after his boat was found idling in the water with live crab still on board.

• Recovery of Remains: Skeletal remains washed ashore in November 2006 in Taholah, Washington, on the Quinault Indian Reservation. This location is approximately 185 miles north of where he originally went missing.

• Cold Case: For nearly two decades, the remains were unidentified and known as "Grays Harbor County John Doe".

• Forensic Breakthrough: In 2025, the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner collaborated with Othram, a private lab specializing in forensic genetic genealogy. Scientists used advanced genome sequencing to build a DNA profile, which was then matched against reference samples from Asher's relatives. 

  
  

Background

Ed Asher was a prominent figure in Fossil, Oregon, where he served as mayor. He worked as a lineman for the Fossil Telephone Company for over 40 years before retiring in 1995 and also owned Asher's Variety Store. He is survived by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; his wife, Helen, passed away in 2018.