Cries reported by citizens led the Sûreté de Québec (SQ) search 8 km from the scene of the accident on July 10, even though a footprint had been discovered the day before in another sector.
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This was explained on Monday by investigator Benoit Robert, who was responsible for the investigation to find Norah and Romy Carpentier. Despite a footprint found south of Highway 20 near the scene of the accident on July 9 at the end of the day, the captain chose to move the search the next morning to the area of rue Veilleux, 8 kilometers further far as the crow flies.
“We are looking for mobile people,” justified Commander Robert, explaining that the distance could have been walked by the trio during the 15-hour period that had elapsed.
However, good research practices advise always to follow the last known point, which Captain Robert agreed to on Monday.
“Yes, logically, you have to start from the last known point to do the research,” he admitted.
Incoherent information
The information leading the authorities to rue Veilleux came from a citizen who indicated that he had heard the cries of children in the night. The police consider this information “credible” since the isolated sector is calm and cries are never heard there.
Archival photos, Stevens LeBlanc
“The witness statement was very plausible, very clear. It is an area where we are not used to hearing cries like that,” said Martin Robert.
On site, the police do not neglect anything, even sending juice boxes found on the ground by helicopter to the forensic science laboratory for DNA analysis.
“These are exceptional steps that have been taken,” said the investigator, adding that the whole thing shows how convinced the investigators were looking “in the right place”.
“And the DNA was not the right one,” asked coroner Malouin.
“After analysis, no,” replied Martin Robert.
A second footprint was found at the end of this day of July 10, in the same area as the first. The decision is then made to return the search to the starting point, 8 kilometers away.
Found the next day
The next morning, the bodies of the two little ones will be found a hundred feet apart.
Under Norah’s body, a “start of a campfire” will be found, letting investigators say that Carpentier had gone with Romy to look for branches, asking Norah to try to start a fire.
The girls were killed with a blow to the back of the head, using a branch that was found near the bodies.