Man arrested for murder after his wife was found dead in the Oregon wilderness following a large-scale search

Police have arrested and charged a man with the murder of his wife, whose body was found Friday in a remote part of Oregon, seven days after she disappeared after a hike with their two dogs.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies arrested 71-year-old Michel Fournier on Saturday for the murder of Susan Lane-Fournier, 61. He is being held without bail in a county jail on a second-degree murder charge.

The body of Lane-Fournier – who was known as “Phoenix” – was found Friday in the remote wilderness of Viels, an unincorporated community at the foot of Mount Hood east of Portland. An autopsy conducted Saturday determined the cause of death was homicide.

The discovery was made only after more than 800 hours of searching, involving dozens of officers, K9s and volunteers who searched more than 100 miles of trail. Her two Malinois mix dogs were also found dead, the sheriff’s office said.

Lane-Fournier was first reported missing when she failed to show up for work at a local store on November 22nd. The next day, a citizen spotted her white 1992 Ford F-250 parked near East Salmon River Road.

“Investigators want to speak with anyone who saw Michel Fournier in the days before her disappearance or who has information about his activities and whereabouts since then,” the sheriff’s office said.

A month before her disappearance, Fournier-Lane had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. In court documents viewed by Portland NBC affiliate KGW8, she gave her name as Susan Lane.

Local people expressed shock at her suspected murder and some gathered at her workplace, a shop that sells exotic imported goods, to pray for her, KGW8 reported.