KOIN.com

Michael Wolfe indicted for murder of Karissa, Billy

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Michael Wolfe was indicted by a grand jury for murder and kidnapping in the case of Karissa Fretwell and her son, Billy.

Fretwell, 25, and her 3-year-old son were last seen May 13 and were reported missing May 17.  Wolfe was arrested at Blue Star Donuts in downtown Portland on May 24. 

Undated photos of Karissa and Billy Fretwell. (Courtesy of Salem PD) 

He is the biological father of Billy, DNA tests in a child support hearing revealed.

On Thursday afternoon, the grand jury in Yamhill County handed down a 5-count indictment: 2 counts of aggravated murder, 1 count of aggravated murder constituting domestic violence, and 2 counts of first-degree kidnapping. (Read the full indictment below)

The domestic violence charge was added because of the relationship between Wolfe and Fretwell.

The 3 aggravated murder charges indicate Karissa and Billy were killed “in the course of the same criminal episode.”

All the counts charge Wolfe with the killing and kidnapping in Yamhill County “on or about May 13.” Fretwell lived in Salem in Marion County, and Wolfe lived in Gaston, which is in both Yamhill and Washington counties.

Michael Wolfe appears in court, May 28 2019. (KOIN)

In late May, KOIN 6 News obtained the probable cause documents that describe the days after Karissa Fretwell went missing and her relationship with Wolfe. They also describe how police watched surveillance footage of Wolfe on the night of May 13, the night the Fretwells allegedly went missing. 

The documents also show that Wolfe and Fretwell’s cellphones pinged in the same areas that night. Police interviewed Wolfe on May 18 and 20, where he said he hadn’t seen them since April 15. 

A search for the bodies of Karissa and Billy continues. Though their bodies have not been found, the “evidence that has been gathered is all leading to a consistent conclusion that they’ve been murdered,” DA Brad Berry in late May.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.

Read: Grand Jury indictment of Michael Wolfe