Search for woman ends after 4 days in Oregon woods, but friends wonder if she was there
UPDATE: Susan “Phoenix” Lane-Fournier was found dead Friday, Nov. 29 near Brightwood, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said. Two dogs, believed to be Lane-Fournier’s, were also found dead the next day. Her husband has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
The original story is below.
Search teams spent hundreds of hours looking for a 61-year-old woman and her two dogs in the wilderness near Mount Hood before calling off efforts, Oregon deputies said.
But her friends and community wonder if she was ever there to begin with.
Authorities stopped search efforts for Susan Lane-Fournier, known as Phoenix, Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
Lane-Fournier never showed up to work Friday, Nov. 22 and has been missing ever since.
Rescue teams spent four days in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, which is in the Mount Hood National Forest, trying to find any sign of the missing woman from Brightwood and her two dogs.
But because of weather conditions and the “likelihood of survivability,” operations were called off, deputies said.
Multiple teams spent over 800 search hours looking for Lane-Fournier and her animals. In addition to on the ground teams, drones and police dogs were used, deputies said.
Deputies said her case hasn’t been closed.
Investigators are looking to talk to anyone who saw her before she vanished.
Anyone with information can call the sheriff’s office non-emergency dispatch line at 503-655-8211. Tips can also be made by calling 503-723-4949 or by submitting an online tip.
Reference case number 24-024698.
Community wonders if she was in forest
Lane-Fournier’s community has a lot of questions about her disappearance, with some wondering if she was ever in the wilderness to begin with.
“None of us ever believed she was up that trail. Suspension of the search just confirms that. Our focus continues to be finding her,” her friend Cari Gesch told McClatchy News Nov. 27.
Gesch was hiking the Old Salmon River Trail on Saturday, Nov. 23, when she spotted her friend’s white 1992 Ford F-250 parked suspiciously along Salmon River Road, McClatchy News reported.
At this point, Lane-Fournier hadn’t shown up for work that day or the day before, Gesch said. She worked at the Hoodland Bazaar in Welches and was a beloved member in the community.
The discovery of her abandoned truck sparked search efforts for the missing woman in the wilderness area, deputies said.
But Gesch said it was a strange area for Lane-Fournier to bring her dogs to as the trail is popular, and her dogs are not people friendly.
“They were her protectors. Those were guard dogs. I mean, if anybody would get near her, they would lose their minds,” Gesch previously told McClatchy News.
Although search teams have been halted, Gesch said the community is continuing to share her missing person flyer and post them around the area.
“We are not giving up on finding her and getting justice for her if necessary without impeding the investigation,” Gesch said.
Welches is about a 45-mile drive southeast from Portland.
This story was originally published November 27, 2024 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Search for woman ends after 4 days in Oregon woods, but friends wonder if she was there."
