Marvin Alvin Clark

Status:

Open

Missing From:

Tigard, Oregon

Summary:

Marvin Alvin Clark disappeared on October 30, 1926, while traveling to visit his daughter in Portland, Oregon during the Halloween weekend. Clark's case is the oldest active missing person case in the United States. Clark's whereabouts remain unknown.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On October 30, 1926, Clark left his home in Tigard around 1 p.m. to visit his daughter, Mrs. Sidney McDougall, who was a resident and manager of the Hereford Hotel at 735 Hoyt Street in Northwest Portland. He never arrived, and no family members had contact with him that day. The initial report of Clark's disappearance on November 6, 1926 by The Morning Oregonian stated that he had embarked to Portland by stagecoach, though a report published the following week said he had traveled by a bus. According to sightings, Clark had been seen at the terminal on Yamhill Street in downtown Portland, dressed in a dark suit and slacks. The Oregonian described him as a "well-known resident of Tigard" who had lived there for 15 years at the time of his disappearance.

Additional Details:

A frantic search began two days later when Clark's wife called McDougall and learned he never completed the trip that's about 10 miles. McDougall, an article says, had not been expecting a visit from her father because he returned to Tigard from her home a few days before his disappearance. McDougall offered a $100 reward — more than $1,300 in today's money — for information about his whereabouts, but nothing turned up. More than a week later, on November 9, Clark's wife, Mary, received a postcard from Bellingham, Washington, apparently sent by her husband. Witnesses in Bellingham reported seeing him there on November 2 and 3. A 1926 newspaper article indicated that the aged man's mind may have been wandering as it was badly jumbled despite the fact that Clark is highly educated, being a graduate of two universities. In 1986, a significant development occurred. In 1986, loggers discovered a John Doe in a wooded area between Portland and Tigard. The remains were estimated to be between 35 and 55 years old, and several personal items dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries were found nearby. The skeleton was found with belongings including an 1888 V nickel, a 1919 penny, a pocket watch, leather shoes, wire-rimmed glasses, a Fraternal Order of Eagles pocket knife, and four tokens with the inscription "D&P," believed to be tavern tokens awarded in card games and used to buy alcohol. A single shot had entered the skull at the temple. Medical examiners, who said at the time said it was the oldest case they ever had, ruled the unknown man's death a suicide. Several days after the discovery, Clark's granddaughter, Dorothy Willoughby, came forward, suspecting the John Doe may have been her missing grandfather, but a positive identification could not be made at the time. In 2011, the state forensic anthropologist, Dr. Nici Vance, took a sample of the skull, which had remained in the medical examiners storage for over two decades, and entered it into a database, the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. However, DNA in 2018 confirmed that the remains were not his. Years passed before investigators could find a descendant of Marvin Clark for a DNA test, but in 2018, a great-great-granddaughter named Pam Knowles submitted DNA—which proved the remains were not those of Clark.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 18, 2026