A month-long search for an Oregon mother and her toddler came to a tragic end on Saturday after their bodies were discovered in a remote wooded area.
The Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Fox 12 that search crews located the remains of 25-year-old Karissa Fretwell and her 3-year-old son, Billy, just outside the city of Yamhill.
The mother and son were reported missing on May 17 after Karissa stopped contacting friends and family.
Billy’s father, 52-year-old Michael John Wolfe, was arrested just over a week later in connection to their disappearance, Dearly reported.
He was charged with two counts of kidnapping and aggravated murder even though their bodies had not been recovered.
They were presumed dead “based on “the evidence that has been gathered,” Yamhill County District Attorney Brad Berry said at the time.
On Saturday, it took about two hours of searching for crews to locate the bodies in the heavily wooded area.
It was determined that the mother died from a gunshot wound to the head. The cause of Billy’s death has not been publicly released.
Karissa’s neighbor, Sara Vangilder, told Fox 12 their deaths have been hard on the local community. She said:
“I was hoping that they’d come home. I didn’t want to think the worst. Pretty sure that everybody around feels sad cause they didn’t need to be killed. It’s really hard.”
Wolfe was allegedly in a custody battle with Karissa over their son in the months leading up to the killings.
Salem Police Department said the investigation is still ongoing.