WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2021 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
FRETWELL MURDERS CHAPTER III
Karissa, Billy disappear
Capi Lynn, Virginia Barreda
and Whitney Woodworth
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
This is the third chapter in a four-
part series about the life and murder of
Karissa Fretwell and her 3-year-old son,
Billy.
After two years of struggling to juggle
work, college and a child on her own,
Karissa Fretwell filed for child support
in Polk County Circuit Court against Mi-
chael Wolfe, the father of her then 2-
year-old son Billy, in May 2018.
She wanted a better life for her son,
and to give him a chance to know his fa-
ther. Neither would ever happen.
Just under a year later, they disap-
peared. Weeks after that, their bodies
were found. Wolfe is awaiting trial in
their murders.
But their tragic end is only part of
their story.
Friends said Karrisa was hesitant at
first to file for child support, but it got to
the point where she felt she was running
out of options. She was working part-
time, going to school and spending more
than 30% of her income on child care
alone.
She didn't care if she ended up get-
ting just $200 a month. Anything would
help.
DNA testing to establish paternity
was the first step in the nearly year-long
court process. A North Carolina lab's
analysis confirmed Wolfe was Billy's
biological father.
The court filed a motion to set child
See FRETWELL, Page 4A
Law enforcement search for Karissa
Fretwell and her son, Billy, in May 2019.
Information gathered during the
investigation by Salem Police
Department led investigators to a
property in rural Yamhill County.
STATESMAN JOURNAL ARCHIVE
Ways to get
outside and
enjoy Oregon’s
outdoors
ALL-MID-VALLEY FOOTBALL
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK
Silverton's head coach Josh Craig talks to players between quarters of the 5A state quarterfinal playoff
game against North Salem in Silverton. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Pete Martini
More inside
It may sound crazy, but you could make the argu-
ment that the best time to explore Oregon’s outdoors
is during the winter.
Yes, it’s rainy, snowy and pretty much always cool.
But it’s those elements, plus the lack of crowds, that
make it such a glorious time to travel.
Waterfalls are booming or covered in ice. Old-
growth forests are at their mossy best. And hot
springs feel just a little bit better amid chilled temper-
atures.
Here are some of my favorite winter outdoor ad-
ventures in Oregon.
Weather will vary considerably, so always check
roads and conditions before you go and be prepared.
Some of these trips need a lower-elevation snow-
pack, which appears to be in good shape this year but
can change at any time.
If you can’t find the right people to ask about con-
ditions, email me at zurness@statesmanjournal.com
and I’ll do my best to help.
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
From the start of the season, the Silverton commu-
nity knew this year’s Foxes football team could be spe-
cial.
They had a strong senior class of playmakers, and
they were looking at one final run.
Two of those seniors were quarterback Jordan
McCarty and linebacker Keegan Walter.
They took their game to the next level, and the Foxes
won their first football state championship in 30 years.
For their effort, McCarty is the Statesman Journal
All-Mid-Valley Offensive Player of the Year, and Walter
is the Defensive Player of the Year.
McCarty threw for 3,033 yards and 25 touchdowns,
and rushed for 730 yards and another 11 touchdowns.
“Jordan is everything. He embodies what it means
to be tough, coachable, kind. He’s a good person, and a
good football player,” Silverton coach Josh Craig said.
“He doesn’t have a cocky bone in his body. He’s hum-
ble, and he leads by example.”
Walter had 45 tackles, seven sacks and recovered
two fumbles, as Silverton finished with a 12-1 overall
record, including going unbeaten against Class 5A
competition.
“He played super disciplined on the edge for us and
had to routinely take on pulling lineman that out-
weighed him by 75 pounds,” Craig said about Walter.
“He was our sack leader and had amazing speed com-
ing off the edge. He was one of our tackle leaders and
came up with big play after big play for us.”
Additional all-midvalley athletes, Page 1B
The tradition of making Oregon’s state parks free
to enter and offering guided hikes returns in 2022.
All parks that normally charge an entry fee are free
on Jan. 1. The “First Day Hikes,” which are guided by
rangers, will also take place at nine state parking in-
cluding two at Silver Falls (9:30 a.m. and noon).
A list of guided hikes, including times and meeting
locations, is online at the Oregon State Parks event
calendar. Visitors should check the calendar in the
days leading up to Jan. 1 for additional guided hikes.
Some parks not hosting guided hikes may display
posters that include recommended hikes and ranger
favorites.
Abiqua Falls
Cascade's Jacob Hage (16) carries the ball during
the first quarter of the game at Cascade High
School in Turner.
Here is the full 2021 Statesman Journal All-Mid-
Valley Football Team.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JORDAN MCCARTY
School: Silverton
Year: Senior
See FOOTBALL, Page 2A
'Deck the halls' thanks to Oregon holly farmers
Capi Lynn
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The roots of a Stayton holly farm can be traced to a
single tree and a television news report.
Don Harteloo's father worked for the local tele-
phone company in the mid-1970s when a colleague of-
fered him a holly tree. He planted it alongside his
driveway. The tree grew over the next decade, always
visible from the house.
The family raised livestock and corn on the 13-acre
farm.
But that would all change after a Portland TV sta-
tion aired a segment about another farm's success sell-
ing the prickly green foliage with clusters of red berries
that holly trees produce.
"The next best thing to picking money off trees," is
the claim Harteloo said grabbed his father's attention,
News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from
the Silverton area
Photos: h Photo galleries
The trek to Abiqua Falls is an adventure, but those
willing to make the trip are rewarded with one of Ore-
gon’s most scenic (and popular) waterfall views.
The waterfall is on private property but is available
to the public via the Abbey Foundation of Oregon.
Stay on marked routes and make sure to have correct
directions.
The hike is only 0.8 miles but feels longer due to a
steep trek down to the creek and a rocky, slippery
trudge upstream to the waterfall.
From where you parked, walk 100 feet back along the
road where there is a metal sign on a tree stating that
the land is owned by the Abbey Foundation of Oregon.
This is the trail.
The path leads steeply downhill to Abiqua Creek in
0.2 miles. At the steepest points in the trail, there are
lengths of rope tied to tree trunks for handholds. Turn
upstream along the creek, following a rough trail for an-
other 0.2 mile. You will have to climb over and around
rocks and logs (tough in high water). Eventually, you’ll
reach the falls.
Those traveling in low-clearance vehicles may con-
sider stopping short of the trailhead due to the very
rough and muddy conditions that could cause a low-
driving vehicle to get stuck.
Beverly Beach to Newport on the Oregon Coast
Trail
Rain collects on holly berries at Mill Creek Holly Farm in
Stayton. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL
leading to the planting of the first 200 trees at Mill
Creek Holly Farms.
Today, 1,500 trees cover eight acres of the farm,
situated just a couple blocks east of Stayton Middle
See HISTORY, Page 3A
Vol. 141, No. 2
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
Free entry and guided hikes at Oregon state
parks return New Year’s Day
Serving the Silverton
Area Since 1880
A Unique Edition of
the Statesman Journal
QEAJAB-07403y
If you’re looking for a change of scenery, head to the
Oregon Coast. A 12-mile hike from Beverly Beach to
Newport offers sweeping beach views, lighthouses,
rock formations, fossils, bridges and more.
Most of the hike is along the beach, offering a mix of
secluded — north of Yaquina Head — and bustling —
around Newport.
Hikers will climb through a hole in the rocky Schoo-
ner Point. You can see Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Ore-
gon’s tallest. And visit Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. You’ll
also walk across the iconic Newport Bay Bridge.
Just be sure to follow markers for the Oregon Coast
Trail when leaving the beach to go around Yaquina
Head. The guidebook, “Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail”
by Bonnie Henderson, is also helpful.
My biggest advice for this hike is to check the tide
See OUTDOORS, Page 3A