The Amber alert was triggered on Thursday, and that turned into a manhunt since the discovery of the body of small Romy and Norah Carpentier, Saturday in Saint-Apollinaire, creates a climate of anxiety within the community and surrounding villages.
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12 July 2020 15: 16
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The hunting of the man creates a climate of anxiety in Saint-Apollinaire
Ugo Giguère
The Canadian Press
SAINT-APOLLINAIRE – An Amber alert triggered on Thursday, and that turned into a manhunt since the discovery of the body of small Romy and Norah Carpentier, Saturday in Saint-Apollinaire, creates a climate of anxiety within the community and surrounding villages.
No need to look far to see that there’s something serious in the municipality of the RCM of Lotbinière. The vehicle of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), are visible everywhere. The SQ has taken charge of the multi-purpose centre that she has turned into a command post. And helicopters take off and land on the soccer fields of the park Terry-Fox run, located just behind the headquarters, temporary.
Cedric Lambert is a native of Saint-Apollinaire and never the young man of 23 years never would have believed to see a deployment of police of such magnitude in its little corner of the world. “See police everywhere, helicopters, we would never have believed it. And then to know that they have found the girls here, it is “freakant””, sharing there.
His wife, Marie-Myriam Dion, herself a mother of two children in shared custody, entrust feel a certain insecurity. “I still look forward that they find, she said. I bar my doors to the house as soon as I’m alone.”
In the opinion of Cédric Lambert, the suspect sought, Martin Carpentier, could represent a danger. “At this point, we don’t know where it is. It is certain that he did not have to eat very well this time, he noted. It means that he may not return to the IGA to buy food, he would spot right away!”
The couple has attempted to contribute to the research by walking through the ranks in the car in the wooded areas, whose rank Bois Joly, where were found the bodies inanimate children. Sunday, the row was closed to traffic as police arpentaient wood is extremely dense, in search of clues that may allow them to follow the trail of the wanted man.
Like everyone, Ms. Dion and Mr. Lambert fail to explain why a father would take to his own children.
This same question has been lurking also in the head of Denis Duchesneau, as a citizen of Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly. “It was probably a good father at the start, before it does something, but we don’t know what. Is it that it is a mental disorder?” asks he.
“We bar our doors”
Jocelyne Fortier lives in the neighbouring village, Saint-Agapit, where research has also been conducted. She recognizes that this is stalking, which stretches the concerned. “It is awful, it is stressful. We bar our doors, we do not know if it is dangerous or anything”, she says.
The car accident caused the activation of the Amber alert took place near the residence of his brother. And the unfortunate fate of the little girls returns to him the image of his own little nieces who are about the same age as the victims.
“It affects us, that’s for sure! As soon as there are children involved, it is even more difficult, ” adds dr. Fortier. I think that’s a shame, why take it out on the children? They were not asked to come into the world.”
The woman visibly empathic towards the suffering family, however, has not pushed his interest as far as to try it-even to participate in research. “I think we should leave the place to the police officers to work”, she believes.
All the hype that surrounds this impressive police operation also leaves a bitter aftertaste for Cédric Lambert. If the young man was in the habit of seeing question marks in the eyes of the people when he speaks of Saint-Apollinaire, he is fully aware of the fact that this episode comes from the “put on the map“. And unfortunately, not for good reasons.
