The door was unlocked. The television was on. Childcare items and a bank card were left inside.
But Karissa Fretwell and her young son were nowhere to be found.
A family member recounted the chilling state of the missing woman’s apartment in a conversation with police, apparently spurring an investigation that’s left 52-year-old Michael Wolfe behind bars.
Wolfe, the father of Fretwell’s 3-year-old son, was arraigned Tuesday on suspicion of kidnapping and killing the mother and child. He’s being held without bail in the Yamhill County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for June 7.
Neither Fretwell nor her son has been found, but authorities believe they have probable cause to charge Wolfe with kidnapping and aggravated murder.
New details about the investigation — including the discovery of the mother and son’s disappearance — were made public in court records filed Tuesday.
“Based on the interviews of Karissa’s family and friends, I believe the only known person who would benefit from the disappearance or criminal homicide of Karissa and William is Michael,” an investigator wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed in Yamhill County Circuit Court.
The affidavit details Wolfe’s movements late May 13 — the last day Fretwell and her son were seen — and early the next morning. It also indicates Fretwell and Wolfe were together about that time.
Wolfe in a later interview with police maintained he didn’t have any recent contact with the mother and son. He said he didn’t know where they were, according to the affidavit.
Wolfe is the biological father of the boy, and court documents show Wolfe had recently taken a paternity test and been ordered to pay more than $900 a month in child support.
Wolfe and his wife had threatened to take the boy and get custody of him, a babysitter for the boy told an investigator, according to the affidavit.
A Salem police spokesman previously said Wolfe’s wife was not missing but would not say whether his family members are part of the investigation or whether police have spoken to them.
Wolfe is accused of three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of first-degree kidnapping. He was arrested Friday afternoon in Portland.
-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Jayati Ramakrishnan of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report
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