Died September, 1974 Cause of death Homicide | Name Murder Martha | |
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Status Remains identified on July 13, 2015 Body discovered October 12, 1974 Vancouver, Washington Known for Formerly unidentified homicide victim | ||
Martha Marie Morrison (1956 – September 1974) was a 17-year-old American girl who was murdered in 1974. On October 12, 1974, unidentified human remains were found in Dole Valley near Vancouver, Washington. In 2015, the remains were identified by means of DNA profiling as those of Martha Morrison. Her body was found next to the remains of Carol Platt Valenzuela, who was identified shortly afterward. After Morrison's remains were identified, law enforcement encouraged the public to submit tips, as the murder was still unsolved. In August 2017, a bloodstain on a pistol owned by a longtime suspect, Warren Leslie Forrest, was matched to Morrison through DNA testing.
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Background
Morrison reportedly grew up in foster care while living near Eugene, Oregon. She attended Roosevelt High School and the Corvallis Farm School. Subsequently, she went to Arizona to participate in the Job Corps program.
She had a history of drug use and of running away from the homes of both her biological and foster families, and the Corvallis Farm School as well. She was last seen leaving her apartment, which she and a man had rented. The couple reportedly quarreled, and Martha subsequently went missing.
Investigation and identification
Subsequent to the discovery of the remains in 1974, the bones of the victim were examined nationwide in hopes of identifying the victim. All examinations were unsuccessful. Forensic facial reconstructions were created of the victim from both frontal and profile views and released through a newspaper, but were not recognized by the public. The victim's physical description was also listed, including the fact that she had curly-textured hair and dental hygiene problems. The victim also appeared to have given birth at some point, although it is unknown if Morrison had ever had a child.
DNA was obtained from Martha Morrison's sister and half-brother which was used to develop a genetic profile to compare to potential matches. After the testing was complete, it was compared to the currently unidentified remains, whose DNA profile was developed in 2012. Similarities were noted, yet a definite match was not established. Both Morrison and the unidentified victim were eventually entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, which specializes in locating missing people and identifying human remains. Ten missing people were excluded as possible identities of the remains until the identification was made in July 2015. Morrison, while a missing person, was ruled out as the possible identity of an unidentified female homicide victim, nicknamed "Orange Socks", who was estimated to have been between 15 and 30 when she was located in Texas in 1979. Morrison's skull and some other bones were mislabeled as Carol Platt Valenzuela's while they were in storage. Investigator Nikki Costa said this was one of the reasons why the remains were unidentified for so long. In 2011, this problem was discovered when the skull's teeth were noticed to be different from Valenzuela's dental records.
Costa stated in an interview conducted after the identification that a great deal of time had been spent on the investigation, including following leads that may have linked the case to serial killer Gary Ridgway, and she continued to work on the two cases.
After previous unsuccessful testing, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children stated they would pay for an exhumation of the victim's father in order to retrieve DNA and compare it with the unidentified remains. The result of this last test was a near-certain indication that the remains were those of Martha Morrison (probability greater than 99%).
Investigators continued to look at suspected serial killer Warren Leslie Forrest. Forrest is currently in prison for the murder of Krista Kay Blake in July 1974. He was arrested on October 2, 1974 — just ten days before the bodies of Martha Morrison and Carol Platt Valenzuela were found in Dole Valley. Law enforcement officials conducted DNA testing on a blood stain found on an air pistol owned by Forrest, which was previously believed to have belonged to a different woman, one of six others he had attacked during his years at large. Officials now state that the results prove he not only killed Morrison, but also Valenzuela, due to the fact that the two bodies were found together. Ted Bundy also was listed as a person of interest in both Morrison's and Valenzuela's case, prior to the 2017 DNA results.
In March 2016, police appealed to the public for assistance with identifying Morrison's boyfriend at the time, who is not a suspect in the case. Investigators do believe he could provide "details" that may be of value to the case.