Remains Found On Washington Beach Identified As Former Mayor Who Vanished During Fishing Trip

New advances in forensic DNA analysis have finally provided answers in a case that remained unresolved for nearly two decades.

Authorities have confirmed that skeletal remains discovered in Washington belong to Clarence Edwin Asher, a former mayor of Fossil who disappeared in 2006.

Asher, known to friends and family as Ed, set out alone on September 5, 2006, for a routine crabbing trip in Tillamook Bay, Oregon. He left the marina at around 10 a.m. and planned to return by mid-afternoon.

When Asher failed to return home by 3 p.m., his wife grew concerned and later reported him missing to Oregon State Police that evening.

The US Coast Guard launched an extensive search for the 72-year-old, who had spent years working as a lineman technician for the Fossil Telephone Company before serving as the town’s mayor.

Search crews deployed multiple resources, including two utility boats, a motor lifeboat, a skiff, and several helicopters.

During the search, Asher’s 21-foot boat was located about half a mile from Garibaldi Marina, according to reports from the time.

Inside the boat, crews found live crab and two of Asher’s three buoys.

No life jacket was recovered, and his wife later shared that Asher typically did not wear one and did not know how to swim.

Clarence Asher went crabbing in Tillamook Bay Getty Images

Investigators believed Asher may have fallen overboard at some point during his trip.

After more than 11 additional hours of searching with no further leads, the Coast Guard officially suspended the operation the following afternoon.

Authorities presumed Asher had drowned, and a memorial service was held on October 14, 2006, as noted in his obituary.

Just weeks later, in November 2006, skeletal remains were discovered on a beach in the village of Taholah, located on the Quinault Indian Reservation in Grays Harbor County, Washington.

Clarence Asher was a former mayor of Fossil The Oregonian

The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office and the county coroner determined the remains belonged to an adult male between 20 and 60 years old.

The individual was estimated to be about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed between 170 and 180 pounds, according to DNASolves.

Despite the examination, officials were unable to identify the man. For years, he was listed as Grays Harbor County John Doe.

In an effort to finally identify the remains, forensic evidence was submitted last year by the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office and the King County Medical Examiner to Othram, a forensic laboratory based in The Woodlands, Texas.

Scientists at Othram used a technique known as Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to extract and analyze DNA from the remains.

This process allowed them to build a detailed genetic profile, even after years of environmental exposure.

The profile was then examined through genetic genealogy research, which led investigators to potential family connections.

Law enforcement followed up on those leads, ultimately confirming the remains belonged to Clarence Asher.

DNASolves said in a statement, as quoted by KVAL: "Critical funding to enable forensic genetic genealogy testing in this case was made possible by Governor Ferguson, Attorney General Nick Brown, and the Washington State Legislature. We are grateful for their support in providing this funding."

"Individuals who have taken a consumer DNA test can aid ongoing forensic investigations by joining the DNASolves database. Expanding the pool of available DNA data increases the likelihood of successful identifications, helping to reunite families with their missing loved ones and resolve cases that have remained unsolved for years."