CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Oregon — The husband of a woman who went missing while reportedly hiking with her two dogs over a week ago in the Mount Hood National Forest has been arrested for murder.
On Friday, 71-year-old Michel Fournier was arrested and booked into the Clackamas County Jail, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said. He is charged with second-degree murder and is not eligible for bail.
On the same day, around 8:30 a.m., deputies responded to a report of a deceased person found near East Highway 26 and East Miller Road in Clackamas County. The state medical examiner identified the person Saturday as Susan "Phoenix" Lane-Fournier and confirmed they are investigating her death as a homicide.
The 61-year-old woman was reported missing on Nov. 22 after she did not show up for work, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office. She and her two large Malinois-mix dogs had reportedly gone hiking in the Mount Hood National Forest near Welches.
Officials had suspended the multi-day search for Lane on Tuesday evening. Deputies had searched her house, and a friend of Lane's found her truck parked along East Salmon River Road near the Green Canyon Way Trail, south of Welches.
Divorce proceedings dated Oct. 31 were filed by Lane in Clackamas County Circuit Court against her husband of 12 years. They were married on May 5, 2012, in Welches. A petition for dissolution of marriage states "irreconcilable differences between the parties have caused an irremediable breakdown of their marriage." They were both still legally married at the time of Lane-Fournier's disappearance and death.
Neighbors told KGW the couple mostly kept to themselves, but lately, community members had been concerned for Lane-Fournier's safety.
"They were expecting it; a lot of people talked about domestic violence," said neighbor Betty Swan-DeLong. "The other thing was everyone wants to know where the dogs are."
Lane-Fournier’s two Malinois-mix dogs have not been located, police said.
Anyone with information, particularly anyone who might have seen Fournier in the days before Lane-Fournier's death, is urged to contact the tip line at 503-723-4949 or by using the online form; reference CCSO case No. #24-024698.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.