Latest news with #MilleÎlesRiver
CTV News
21 hours ago
- CTV News
Remains found in Quebec river identified as Laval man missing since 1988
Aerial footage of crews pulling a Jeep belonging to Robert St-Louis out of the Mille-Îles River on Monday, July 21, 2025, after the man disappeared in 1988. (CTV News) The Quebec coroner's office has confirmed that the remains found inside a vehicle pulled from the Mille-Îles River in Deux-Montagnes last week are those of Robert St-Louis, a Laval man who disappeared 37 years ago. Laval police (SPL) said the coroner was able to identify the remains after the vehicle, which belonged to St-Louis, was found by Australian and American divers from Exploring With a Mission. 'The Laval Police Department extends its deepest sympathies to Mr. St-Louis's loved ones. His family has pursued this case relentlessly over the years, demonstrating great resilience and deep commitment,' the force wrote on social media. 'The SPL would like to acknowledge the perseverance of his loved ones, who have remained in contact with our investigators throughout these years.' St-Louis had been missing since 1988. Diver William McIntosh previously told CTV News they were able to identify the vehicle because it matched the description St-Louis's daughter had given of her father's Jeep Cherokee Chief. He also said it was St-Louis's daughter who contacted the Exploring With a Mission team for help solving her father's disappearance. She was the last person to see him before he went missing on Father's Day in 1988. The divers used sonar and magnets to pull out the Jeep by its rim. 'I got the chills immediately. I knew that we had him,' said McIntosh. '[My colleague] Dan put his hand in in the rocks under the driver's side door, and the first bone that he touched was a U-shaped bone.' With files from Erika Morris and The Canadian Press
National Post
4 days ago
- National Post
After 37 years, a Jeep in a river solves the mystery of Quebec dad's disappearance
Daniel St-Louis was in disbelief when his brother-in-law called him with the news last Sunday morning. After 37 years, his missing father's vehicle was found deep in the river waters in Deux-Montagnes. Article content 'I told him I didn't believe it, but that I would still go,' St-Louis, 55, said in an interview with The Gazette on Friday. Article content Article content Upon arriving near a boat drop along the Mille-Îles River, he saw a large deployment and he knew something big was underway. Even after seeing photos of a beige Jeep Cherokee Chief, the same car his dad drove, he still had his doubts. Article content Article content Article content But alongside the remains discovered in the vehicle, St-Louis said his father's sunglasses were retrieved. A unique square, gold watch that his father inherited from his own dad was also recovered. Article content Article content 'It was really a mix of 'I have to believe it' and 'This is real,'' St-Louis said. 'Then again, it was like a bad nightmare. Article content 'It's an answer that we might not have wanted to receive, but in some way, we needed to have it.' Article content Robert St-Louis, the father of Daniel and his four sisters, vanished at the age of 42. The Laval man was last seen in June 1988. At the time, Daniel St-Louis was 18 years old. They thought their dad was elsewhere for a few days as he would sometimes go for a break, he said. But after failing to come home, St-Louis said his mother contacted police. Article content 'The police at the time didn't take the disappearance seriously,' he said, noting police didn't conduct searches in the beginning. There didn't appear to be any criminal element tied to the case, he added. Article content Article content Despite the family's efforts, tips from the public and a possible match that ended up being disproven in recent years, they never saw Robert again. Article content It was one of Daniel St-Louis's sisters who recently penned a touching letter about their father's disappearance to the American non-profit Exploring with a Mission. The diving team, composed of two volunteers, search waterways for missing individuals whose vehicles were never recovered, under the assumption that the cars are likely submerged in bodies of water. Since 2023, they have found missing people in Australia, the U.S. and Canada. Article content Article content Armed with a list of a dozen cold cases mapped out by region, Exploring with a Mission arrived in Quebec in early July. They found the remains in a vehicle believed to belong to Yvon Guévin, a 75-year-old former town councillor who was reported missing in 2014, in the St-François River. Article content With his sister's help, St-Louis said the two-person team scanned the river. But it was near a drop closer to the Deux-Montages side where they found a few cars buried deep in the dark, choppy waters. They dove and identified the Jeep Cherokee Chief believed to belong to Robert last Saturday evening, he said. Bones were inside, too.
