DEC 12, 2021
Murders of Karissa and Billy Fretwell in Salem: A life full of promise (statesmanjournal.com)
This is the first chapter in a four-part series about the life and murder of Karissa Fretwell and her 3-year-old son, Billy.
A wooden plaque with a photograph of Karissa Fretwell and her son, Billy, hangs prominently on a wall in the office at Morrison Campus Alternative School in Dallas.
In one of the classrooms, a drawing of Karissa's childhood home graces the wall next to the bookcase.
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Teenage struggles
Karissa was born in Colorado and lived for a while in North Dakota. She was 14 when she lost her father, whom she called her best friend. Some of her troubles as a teen may have surfaced after his death in 2007.
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Karissa was an open book on social media as a teenager, sharing posts about when she started community service, graduated from a drug and alcohol program, and was off probation.
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Finding security, support
Morrison staff urge exited students to take care of whatever problems they're facing and offer them a chance to come back when they're ready.
Karissa successfully petitioned to return a couple of months later.
By then, with a cross and the words "In Loving Memory Daddy" tattooed on her shoulder, she seemed more open to the opportunity.
Morrison became a safe place for her, a place where she didn't feel judged or like a misfit. With a strong sense of community at the school, she found support.
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The teachers saw Karissa's potential. They described her as an exceptional student who loved learning. And they inspired her to want to become a teacher.
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She is one of the school's many success stories and a source of pride for the staff. She inspired them as much as they inspired her.
They were more than just teachers to Karissa. They were her mentors, life coaches and confidants.
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Pursuing her dreams
Karissa enrolled at Chemeketa Community College the fall after she graduated, spending a few years completing general education requirements and an associate degree for transfer to Western Oregon University.
She returned to Morrison years later to serve as a volunteer assistant several days a week to fulfill practicum hours toward her teaching degree at Western Oregon.
[...]
She was juggling class and work schedules, holding down fast-food jobs to get by.
Then she met Michael J. Wolfe.
