Murder of Martha Morrison

Martha Marie Morrison (1956 – September 1974) was a 17-year-old American girl who was murdered in 1974, and whose remains went unidentified for over 40 years after their discovery.

Born
1956
Eugene, Oregon, U.S.
Disappeared
September 1, 1974 (aged 17)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.^[1]
Status
Remains identified on July 13, 2015
Died
September 1974
Cause of death
Homicide
Body discovered
October 12, 1974
Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Known for
Formerly unidentified homicide victim
Height
5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Morrison, a resident of Portland, Oregon, disappeared under mysterious circumstances in September 1974. On October 12, 1974, human remains of two women were found in Dole Valley near Vancouver, Washington.^[2] One was immediately identified as Carol Platt Valenzuela, but the other individual was unable to be identified at the time.^[3][2] In 2015, the remains were identified by means of DNA profiling as those of Morrison.^[4]
After Morrison’s remains were identified, law enforcement encouraged the public to submit tips, as the murder was still unsolved.^[5] In August 2017, a bloodstain on a pistol owned by a longtime suspect, Warren Leslie Forrest, was matched to Morrison through DNA testing.^[6] Prior to Forrest’s identification as a suspect, serial killer Ted Bundy had been considered a person of interest in Morrison and Valenzuela’s murders. Forrest was charged with Morrison’s murder in 2020.