Human Remains Identified As Missing Mayor 20 Years After Disappearance

Skeletal remains that washed up on a Washington beach nearly 20 years ago have been identified as a former Oregon mayor who was declared dead in 2006, officials said.

On Tuesday, the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office announced that remains found on a beach in the village of Taholah in 2006 were identified as Clarence Edwin Asher, the former mayor of Fossil, Oregon.

When the remains were first discovered, the coroner’s office said investigators worked with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office and determined they belonged to an adult male “likely aged 20 to 60 years old” who stood about 5 feet 9 inches. Officials were unable to identify the person at the time, and the case was listed as “Grays Harbor County John Doe (2006).”

Asher was believed to have drowned during a crabbing trip in September 2006 and was declared dead at age 72, according to Oregon outlet KATU.

Last year, officials sent DNA to Othram, a Texas laboratory that specializes in cold cases, and the remains were positively identified.

The U.S. Coast Guard launched a search-and-rescue operation after Asher disappeared in Tillamook Bay on the Oregon coast, but the search was suspended after one day. Coast Guard crews at the time found Asher’s boat idling in the water with a live crab onboard.

Asher’s wife, who died in 2018 at age 85, previously told authorities her husband could not swim.

Asher worked as a lineman technician for the Fossil Telephone Company for nearly 50 years and volunteered as a firefighter and ambulance driver, according to his obituary. He also operated a variety store for a period of time. At the time of his death, he had 21 grandchildren.

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