A 61-year-old woman who disappeared while hiking near Mount Hood was found dead, leading to murder charges against her estranged husband, whom she had recently filed to divorce.
Susan Lane-Fournier of Brightwood, Oregon was reported missing on November 22, 2024, after failing to arrive at work. Her white Ford F-250 truck was discovered the following day near East Salmon River Road, close to the Green Canyon Way Trail south of Welches, Oregon.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office launched an extensive search operation involving over 20 volunteer searchers and Search and Rescue teams. Despite temperatures dropping into the 30s, search efforts continued for several days, accumulating more than 800 hours of search time.
On November 29, authorities located Lane-Fournier’s body near East Highway 26 and East Miller Road in Welches. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and confirmed her death was a homicide.
Michel Fournier, 71, Lane-Fournier’s husband of 12 years, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He is being held without bail at Clackamas County Jail.
Court records reveal that Lane-Fournier had initiated divorce proceedings against Fournier on October 31, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce petition was never successfully served.
Lane-Fournier, known to friends as “Phoenix,” was hiking with her two Malinois-mix dogs, Elrond and Elros, at the time of her disappearance. The bodies of both dogs were later recovered by authorities in the Mount Hood National Forest.
According to Lane-Fournier’s friend, Cari Gesch, the victim had expressed fear about serving the divorce papers, concerned that Fournier might harm her or her dogs. Her “Phoenix” nickname stemmed from a difficult period following her father’s death in a car crash.
Investigators are seeking information from anyone who may have observed Michel Fournier’s activities or whereabouts in the days before and after Lane-Fournier’s disappearance. The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has released Fournier’s booking photo under a 2022 Oregon law exception that allows such releases to aid in identifying additional criminal activity.
