Husband charged with murder of wife found dead in Oregon wilderness

(WELCHES, Ore.) — A man has been arrested and charged with murder after his estranged wife was found dead in the Oregon wilderness.

Michel Fournier, 71, was taken into custody Friday on second-degree murder charges. He is now being held without bail, according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Earlier Friday, Susan Lane-Fournier was found deceased in Welches, a remote part of Clackamas County, after a multi-day search. An autopsy ruled her manner of death as homicide, according to authorities.

Lane-Fournier, 61, had been reported missing one week earlier, on Nov. 22, after failing to show up at work, according to officials.

She was also known as “Phoenix,” the sheriff’s office said.

Officials previously said she was believed to have been in the wooded area hiking with her two dogs.

The two dogs, which had also been considered missing, were also found dead on Saturday, the sheriff’s office said.

Weeks before she disappeared, according to The Oregonian, Lane-Fournier filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The two had been married for 12 years.

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