Susan Lane-Fournier, a 61-year-old woman from Brightwood, Oregon, was reported missing on November 22, 2024 when she failed to show up for work. The following day, her white Ford F-250 truck was found near East Salmon River Road, close to the Green Canyon Way Trail south of Welches, Oregon. Subsequently, her body was discovered, prompting murder charges against her estranged husband.
Upon her disappearance, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office initiated a rigorous search operation involving more than 20 volunteers and Search and Rescue teams. Despite the temperatures plunging into the 30s, the search continued for several days, amounting to over 800 hours of search time.
Lane-Fournier’s body was discovered on November 29 near East Highway 26 and East Miller Road in Welches, Oregon. Following an autopsy by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, it was confirmed that her death was a result of homicide.
Her husband, 71-year-old Michel Fournier, was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Currently, he is being detained without bail at the Clackamas County Jail. The couple had been married for 12 years.
Court documents show that Lane-Fournier had filed for divorce from Fournier on October 31, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce petition, however, was never successfully served.
Known as “Phoenix” to her friends, Lane-Fournier was hiking with her two Malinois-mix dogs, Elrond and Elros, at the time she went missing. The remains of both dogs were later found by authorities in the Mount Hood National Forest.
According to a friend, Cari Gesch, Lane-Fournier had expressed concerns about serving the divorce papers to Fournier, fearing that he might harm her or her dogs. The nickname “Phoenix” was given to her following a tough period after her father’s death in a car accident.
The investigators are currently seeking information from anyone who might have noticed Michel Fournier’s activities or whereabouts before and after Lane-Fournier went missing. In an effort to identify any additional criminal activity, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has released Fournier’s booking photo, as permitted by a 2022 Oregon law exception.
