Two bodies found in a remote area in Oregon were confirmed Sunday as belonging to a missing mother and 3-year-old son who were reported missing in mid-May.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said searchers found Karissa and William Fretwell’s bodies Saturday in a heavily wooded region in Yamhill County. Since then, officials concluded that Karissa, 25, sustained a gunshot wound to the head while William’s cause and manner of death remain undetermined, according to KPTV.
William and Karissa were last seen on May 13 at their apartment in Salem, also part of Yamhill County. The Oregonian reported that a friend contacted police on May 17, after discovering the residence was unlocked and that Karissa’s bank card and glasses were left behind.
The news outlet noted that the bodies were located approximately 10 miles from the Salem apartment where they were last seen alive.
William’s father, Michael Wolfe, was arrested on May 25 and charged with the pair’s aggravated murders. Days before his apprehension in Portland, authorities searched properties in Hopewell and Gaston, the latter belonging to Wolfe, according to KOIN.
Further, Karissa’s former roommate, Niccomi Holcomb, told the news station that the 25-year-old met Wolfe, who is reportedly married, at work. A Polk County court confirmed that Wolfe was William’s father after Karissa petitioned for a paternity test, according to the Salem Statesman Journal.
Further, KGW obtained court documents stating that Wolfe was ordered in April to pay $900 a month to Karissa for their son, as she had full custody. The babysitter reportedly told police that Karissa claimed Wolfe and his wife had threatened to take custody of William.
According to an indictment acquired by the Salem Reporter, Wolfe was accused of committing the murders hours after the Fretwell’s disappeared. He remains jailed and is due in court on Thursday.
[Featured image: Michael John Wolfe, Karissa Fretwell, and William Fretwell/Salem Police Department]
