The estranged husband of an Oregon woman was arrested and charged with murder after the missing hiker’s body was found, along with two dead dogs believed to be hers.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said the body of 61-year-old Susan Lane-Fournier was found Friday morning after she allegedly took a walk with her two dogs in the Mount Hood area.
Detectives arrested Lane-Fournier’s estranged husband, Michel Fournier, 71, shortly after finding her body and booked him into jail second-degree murder charge.
Officials said Lane-Fournier was reported missing for the first time on Nov. 22, after she failed to show up for work.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office says they recovered two deceased dogs on Saturday, November 30th. These are said to belong to the deceased woman, Susan Lane-Fournier. (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office)
A community member reported seeing Lane-Fournier’s white 1992 Ford F-250 parked near East Salmon River Road and the Green Canyon Way Trail south of Welches, prompting a multi-day search by various law enforcement agencies.
Authorities also confirmed that Lane-Fournier and Michel Fournier were married at the time of her death. According to court documents obtained by local station KPTV, Lane-Fournier had filed for divorce just two weeks before she disappeared.
On Saturday, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and ruled Lane-Fournier’s death a homicide.
OREGON HIKER, 61, DISAPPEARS WITH HER 2 DOGS
Detectives arrested 71-year-old Michel Fournier for the murder of his soon-to-be ex-wife Susan Lane-Fournier. (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office)
According to court documents, her body was located near a property the couple owned in Brightwood.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office also found two deceased dogs believed to belong to Lane-Fournier.
The dogs were taken to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, where investigators worked to confirm their identities.
A body found Friday in the Welches area was identified as a 61-year-old woman who was initially believed to have gone missing while hiking in the Mount Hood area, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. (Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office)
One of Lane-Fournier’s colleagues told KPTV that she had said before her death that she “feared for her life.”
“For the last few weeks before she went missing, she was actually scared for her life, so she kept bringing the dogs,” Khalid Kamahwe told the newspaper.
Authorities initially suspended the search last week, citing “weather conditions and the likelihood of survivability.”
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Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen Michel Fournier in the days leading up to Susan’s disappearance or who has knowledge of his activities and whereabouts since then to call the sheriff’s office at 503-723-4949.
