The coroner who investigated the murders of young sisters Norah and Romy Carpentier criticizes the work of the police, who took too long, according to her, to trigger an Amber alert.
Sophie Régnière met the press in Quebec on Wednesday, a week after making public her report on the death of the two girls, killed by their father, Martin Carpentier, in July 2020.
She returned briefly to the timeline of events, including the fact that Mr. Carpentier had insisted, on the evening of July 8, 2020, to take the girls alone for an ice cream cone.
Their car was involved in a serious accident on Highway 20 in Saint-Apollinaire, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, shortly before 9:30 p.m.
When the police arrived, they noticed that there was no one in the accident vehicle; they therefore undertook terrestrial research.
It wasn’t until the next afternoon that authorities took action to issue an Amber Alert, issued in cases of child abduction.
And even then it was delayed for 90 minutes, as the first version exceeded the 300 character limit for such messages. The alert finally fell at 3 p.m.
“At 6 am, we’re not looking for people lost in the woods; we are looking for little girls in danger, and that is not the same, ”said Me Régnière on Wednesday.
“Me, what I’m saying is: do whatever you want, call it ‘Amber Alert’, just call it ‘Disappearance Notice’, do anything, but do it. At 6 a.m., that was where it had to be. “
The coroner recommends in particular the relaxation of criteria to trigger the Amber alerts and the creation of a police unit specialized in the disappearances of children across the province.
Need help ? Do not hesitate to call the Quebec Suicide Prevention Line: 1 866 APPELLE (1 866 277-3553)