DNA ID Links WA Beach Remains to Former Oregon Mayor Clarence 'Ed' Asher

Skeletal remains washed ashore in Taholah, Washington in 2006 were identified in 2025 as Clarence Edwin 'Ed' Asher, former mayor of Fossil, Oregon. Investigators believe Asher drowned while crabbing in Tillamook Bay. Born in 1934, he spent much of his life in Oregon and served as mayor of Fossil. After initial inability to identify the remains, the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office and King County Medical Examiner obtained a DNA profile from Othram in Texas, leading to the identification and closure for his family.