Court date delayed for estranged husband of woman found dead near Welches
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The estranged husband of a woman found dead near Welches is set to be arraigned Tuesday on a charge of second-degree murder, according to the Clackamas County Court.
Michel Fournier was taken into custody late Friday night hours after the body of his wife, Susan Lane-Fournier, was discovered in an unincorporated part of Clackamas County near Welches.
On Saturday, officials confirmed the body found was that of 61-year-old Lane-Fournier who had been reported missing on Nov. 22 and that her estranged husband was in custody. On Sunday, law enforcement announced the bodies of two dogs believed to have belonged to Lane-Fournier had been found in Multnomah County.
After Lane-Fournier’s truck was found on Nov. 23, rescue crews spent four days scouring the Mt. Hood National Forest for signs of Lane-Fournier and the dogs, but the search was called off Tuesday morning.
Lane-Fournier’s body was discovered four miles from where her truck was found, authorities said. Her two Malinois-mix dogs were found and recovered by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office the following day.
Days before Susan's body was found, her youngest sons told KOIN 6 News they were overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of community support.
"The amount of support and sympathy from the community, it's not something that I'm personally used to,” Dakota Lane said. “It's nice to know that there's, there's people that cared enough for her to bring all this, all the support out."
Court documents show Lane-Fournier had filed for divorce on Oct. 31 against Michel after 12 years of marriage. It’s unclear if the divorce had any connection to her murder.
Although he is in custody, investigators are encouraging anyone who may have seen Michel Fournier or may have knowledge of his whereabouts in the days before Lane-Fournier’s disappearance to contact police.
Michel Fournier was initially slated to appear before a judge Monday, but due to technical difficulties, his appearance was pushed to Tuesday. According to court documents, he has declined a public defender.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support the sons with funeral and legal costs.
Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.