A 61-year-old woman from Brightwood, Oregon, Susan Lane-Fournier, was found dead after she went missing during a hike near Mount Hood. Her estranged husband, whom she had recently sought to divorce, has been charged with murder.
Lane-Fournier was reported missing on November 22, 2024, after she failed to show up for work. The next day, her white Ford F-250 truck was found near East Salmon River Road, in close proximity to the Green Canyon Way Trail south of Welches, Oregon.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office initiated a broad search operation, involving over 20 volunteer searchers and multiple Search and Rescue teams. Despite temperatures falling into the 30s, the search continued for several days, with over 800 hours of search time accumulated.
Authorities discovered Lane-Fournier’s body near East Highway 26 and East Miller Road in Welches on November 29. Following an autopsy, the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that her death was a homicide.
The husband of Lane-Fournier, 71-year-old Michel Fournier, was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held without bail at the Clackamas County Jail.
According to court records, Lane-Fournier had filed for divorce from Fournier on October 31, citing irreconcilable differences. However, the divorce petition was never successfully delivered.
At the time of her disappearance, Lane-Fournier, also known as “Phoenix” to her friends, was hiking with her two Malinois-mix dogs, Elrond and Elros. The bodies of the dogs were later found by authorities in the Mount Hood National Forest.
Lane-Fournier’s friend, Cari Gesch, said that the victim had expressed fear about delivering the divorce papers, worried that Fournier might harm her or her dogs.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information from anyone who may have noticed Michel Fournier’s actions or whereabouts in the days leading up to and following Lane-Fournier’s disappearance. Under a 2022 Oregon law exception, Fournier’s booking photo has been released to help identify any additional criminal activity.