Gino Perreault, a 46-year-old homeless man from Val-Alain, has been missing for almost two years. His loved ones are in the void and are looking for answers. “No clue allows us to know if he is dead or alive”, says his sister, in an interview with The Press.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The man who was then living in a homeless situation was last seen on October 24, 2020 in the Val-Alain sector, a small municipality of around 1,000 inhabitants in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. The Sûreté du Québec launched a wanted notice last Tuesday.
It is not uncommon for Gino to be absent for several months, according to Manon Perreault, his older sister. Nevertheless, his latest absence is more disturbing than usual, hence the late reporting to the police.
“If he left, he always left with his bike, she explains, on the phone. This time he didn’t bring it, and his bank account where he regularly picked up his welfare check has been inactive for more than two years. Is it because he died or because he sank deeper into illness? Nothing is certain. »
Just before his disappearance, Gino Perreault was squatting in a room in a motel belonging to his father. He would then have met his brother to ask for provisions. It was the last time he would have given any sign of life.
“He seemed more depressed than usual,” recalls his sister Manon, with resignation.
A difficult past
Gino has long suffered from schizophrenia, an illness that also affects other family members.
“It was around the age of 14 that his life of revolt began and that his illness broke out, continues Mme Perréault. He used a lot of marijuana. »
The man also deals with organizational difficulties. “He is not able to manage his money or take care of himself or his business. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MANON PERREAULT
Gino Perreault during his youth. “Most of the photos we have of him date from more than 20 years ago. He didn’t like having his picture taken, ”says his sister.
In 2007, the family no longer received any news from Gino, when he lived in the house that his parents had bought for him right next to theirs. Worried, they resigned themselves to calling the police.
“The police had to break down the door of his house. Inside, it was hellish. He was accumulating trash in the basement. It was completely unsanitary. »
After this discovery, Gino Perreault was hospitalized for psychiatric care. He came out a week later. “He did not cooperate and he refused any treatment option, says Manon Perreault. In his head, he is not sick. It’s the others who have a problem. »
The man is not followed by any health professional, not even a dentist, adds his sister.
[Gino] is not being treated for his illness. At the same time, it is difficult to treat someone who refuses to be helped.
Manon Perreault
“No one should live like this,” she adds.
After his hospitalization, Gino plunged into a cycle of vagrancy, where he stayed for a few months in a tent set up in the woods near his parents’ house and then left for several months without a precise destination with his bicycle.
“He was not able to stay in one place for long. My father had bought him a trailer so that he could at least stay in the yard, but he often left to go I don’t know where. He only came back to ask for money, food or a place to stay. He often returned emaciated. »
Relations between Gino Perreault and family members are difficult, says Manon, who describes her brother as a cold person who has difficulty with authority and instructions.
“He doesn’t really show his feelings. He is quite withdrawn. He had no friends or associates. He is prone to losing his temper when he doesn’t get what he wants. Illness exacerbates all of this. »
A sad reality
Manon Perreault deplores the lack of psychological care her brother has received. “He had gone with our parents to a mental health family support organization over 10 years ago. There was a bit of a follow-up, but it didn’t last. »
” This [genre de situation] is really not easy for a family, underlines the psychiatrist Olivier Farmer, of the Notre-Dame hospital in Montreal. It can be an obstacle course to convince a sick loved one to seek treatment, when the latter refuses. »
He recalls that the current law does not allow forcing a person to receive health care against their will, unless their mental state presents a serious and immediate danger.
According to the Chaudière-Appalaches integrated health and social services centre, homelessness is expressed differently in the region and therefore becomes less visible. People affected by homelessness tend to squat with relatives. They can sleep in their car, an abandoned house, a wood, under verandas, under overpasses, near building entrances or containers, winter and summer.
Manon Perreault does not rule out the possibility that her brother is dead, but she still wants to send him a message: “Of course we are worried about him and we would like to see him again. »