Oregon investigators believe they have uncovered the carcasses of two dogs belonging to a 61-year-old lady who was found dead over the weekend.
Susan Lane-Fournier’s remains were discovered on November 29 along a remote highway in northwest Oregon, near vacation cabins and hiking trails in the Mount Hood area. Her body was recovered following a nearly week-long search for her and her two enormous Malinois-mix dogs, who had been reported missing on November 22.
Shortly after officials discovered Lane-Fournier’s body, her estranged husband, 71-year-old Michel Fournier, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
According to jail documents examined by PEOPLE on Monday, Fournier remains in custody without bail.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday that they believe they had found the carcasses of Lane-Fournier’s missing dogs.
“On Saturday, November 30, 2024, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office recovered two deceased dogs believed to be Susan Lane-Fournier’s,” the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office stated in a social media post. “The dogs have been transferred to the custody of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, where investigators are working to confirm their identities.”
The sheriff’s office stated that the case “remains an active homicide investigation” and encouraged “anyone who saw Michel Fournier in the days leading up to Susan’s disappearance or has knowledge of his activities and whereabouts since then” to contact authorities.
Earlier this weekend, the sheriff’s office said they had found Lane-Fournier’s body “near East Highway 26 and East Miller Road in unincorporated Clackamas County.”
According to KOIN, Lane-Fournier recently filed for divorce from her spouse after 12 years of marriage. The Oregon woman cited “irreconcilable differences” between her and her estranged husband in her October divorce file, which “caused an irremediable breakdown of their marriage,” according to local KGW.
Lane-Fournier was reported missing on Friday, November 22, “after failing to arrive at her workplace,” according to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators launched a “multi-day search and rescue operation” after receiving information that her white 1992 Ford F-250 was spotted parked along a hiking route in the area, finally leading officials to her death.
According to KOIN, the woman’s body was discovered under a tarp by the highway, first by Lane-Fournier’s buddy, James Evans.
Evans told the newspaper that he initially thought the tarp was “trash” until he approached the murder site. “As I bent over and came up, I seen a pair of boots connected to a leg,” Evans said KOIN-TV. “I dropped the tarp, backed up, composed myself, turned around, and proceeded to the lodge, where the receptionist promptly called 911. “It was quite heartbreaking.”