Martin Carpentier, 44, is shown in this undated police handout photo.The Canadian Press
Quebec police believe they have found the body of Martin Carpentier, the subject of an intensive 10-day manhunt southwest of Quebec City, on the same day his young daughters were laid to rest in an emotional ceremony attended by hundreds.
Since Mr. Carpentier disappeared on the evening of July 8, with Romy, 6, and Norah, 11, the province has watched with sadness as the case evolved from a Quebec-wide Amber Alert to the tragic discovery of the girls’ bodies a few days later.
The Sûreté du Québec had been searching for the 44-year-old Scout leader ever since, mostly through the dense forest around the town of Saint-Apollinaire, near where he was last seen. On Monday evening, the police force tweeted that it had found the body of a man in the vicinity of their search, which “everything suggests” belongs to Mr. Carpentier. The force said it appears he took his own life.
At a tearful funeral in their hometown of Lévis, Que., earlier in the day, Norah and Romy Carpentier were described by their mother, Amélie Lemieux, as pure and gentle souls.
“Thank you for choosing me to be your mother, a privilege that was priceless,” Ms. Lemieux said, reading from a letter she wrote to her girls.
“Even if I didn’t have enough time by your side, I will continue to cherish, one by one, each memory, photo, video and continue to hear your soft voices call me ‘maman,’ ” Ms. Lemieux said through tears.
The girls were remembered fondly by relatives and hundreds gathered in the funeral home’s parking lot to watch the ceremony – Romy, the clown who wanted to do it all, and Norah, the ingenious artist who dreamed of being a video game designer.
But key questions remain about the fate of Mr. Carpentier and his daughters. They were last seen at a convenience store in Lévis on July 8, shortly before police say their car jumped the median and crashed on a nearby highway. By the time officers arrived, the vehicle was empty.
The ensuing Amber Alert was the longest in Quebec history, only ending on July 11, when the girls were discovered in the woods not far from the scene of the accident. The SQ had declined to release their autopsies until after Mr. Carpentier was discovered and spokesperson Ann Mathieu said they would not do so immediately on Monday night.
Family friends expressed shock at the idea that Mr. Carpentier would abduct or harm his daughters, saying he was a good father who maintained an amicable relationship with Ms. Lemieux after their separation about four years ago.
“We are astounded,” said Lise Duval, Ms. Lemieux’s godmother.
The search for Mr. Carpentier, who worked as a house painter and drywaller, involved dozens of officers and a range of high-tech equipment, including a Transport Canada airplane equipped with an infrared camera. In their tweet on Monday, the SQ said the discovery of the body believed to be Mr. Carpentier’s came as the result of information from a member of the public.
In recent days, sightings had come in from as far away as the Gaspé Peninsula, hundreds of kilometres east. Speculation among wilderness and criminal psychology experts has suggested that Mr. Carpentier’s chances of survival were low. But on Thursday, police said they believed he was alive after finding evidence that he had broken into a local trailer for sustenance.
At the ceremony on Monday, whose attendance was limited because of COVID-19, each family member put a rose in a vase near photos of the sisters – a symbolic gesture as both girls had “Rose” as a middle name. Afterwards, two doves were released into the afternoon sky.
Marie-Pierre Genois, a friend of Ms. Lemieux since high school, stood in the intense sun, waiting to offer condolences. “It’s to support her,” Ms. Genois said. “It’s a terrible ordeal, so it’s important for me to be here for her.”
Gilles Lehouillier, mayor of Lévis, said the city plans to install a plaque honouring the sisters in a park where locals had turned a gazebo into a makeshift memorial.
Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault also paid her respects to the family Monday.
With reports from Mugoli Samba and The Canadian Press
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