Fears are growing for a hiker and her two Malinois-mix dogs who vanished without a trace in the Oregon wilderness.
Susan Lane-Fournier, 61, from Brightwood, was reported missing by her employer on Friday when she failed to show up for work.
Authorities visited her home that day but found no sign of her or her two large Malinois-mix dogs.
The following day, the 61-year-old’s white 1992 Ford F-250 was spotted parked along East Salmon River Road near the Green Canyon Way Trail in Mount Hood National Forest, southeast of Portland, Oregon.
The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said Lane-Fournier is believed to have gone hiking with her two dogs along the trail and never returned.
A desperate search was launched to find her with rescue teams covering more than 100 miles by Monday.
But, after four days and no signs of the missing woman or her dogs, the sheriff’s office announced that the search had been suspended.
“Based on weather conditions and the likelihood of survivability, the decision was made to suspend operations after all four volunteer search teams returned from the field,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
While the search and rescue operation has ended, the case into Lane-Fournier’s disappearance remains open, it added.
The Green Canyon Way trail is a “primitive trail” with a steep and narrow path that climbs a total of 2,400 feet in elevation in 3.2 miles, according to the US Forest Service.
Anyone with information about the missing woman is asked to contact Clackamas County non-emergency dispatch at 503-655-8211, their Tip Line at 503-723-4949 or online at clackamas.us/sheriff/tip.
