Divers find car linked to 37-year-old cold case in Quebec river
A vehicle believed to be linked to a Laval man's disappearance 37 years ago is being fished out of the Mille-Îles River in Deux-Montagnes, Que.
Australian and American divers from Exploring With a Mission said they found a vehicle believed to belong to Robert St-Louis who went missing in the late '80s on Sunday.
Diver William McIntosh told CTV News he his crew found 'five or six cars' in the river, one of them matching the description St-Louis's daughter had given of her father's Jeep Cherokee Chief.
He said the divers found bones inside the vehicle.
McIntosh said St-Louis's daughter contacted the Exploring With a Mission team for help solving her father's disappearance — she had been the last person to see him when he went missing on Father's Day in 1988.
'We decided to get right in the river,' he said. 'We came across a big stone that was about 70 feet long, and then it dropped straight off into from from five feet of water, directly down to 50 feet. And at 50 feet, we found one car, and then we came back around on it. We found three more, but we found one that was the shape of a Jeep Cherokee with square back with a square window, which is a very unique car.'
Using a sonar and magnets, the divers were able to pull the car 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 that he touched was a U-shaped bone.'
St-Louis lived very close to the spot in the river where the vehicles were found.
According to McIntosh, at least 11 people are missing in the area including Lucie Bouchard who went missing in 1996. Though there were at least five cars in the river, McIntosh and his team were focused on St-Louis.
'They've been waiting 37 years, and currently they might be waiting 37 hours to be able to get this vehicle out and to get all the remains out so they finally can bury their father,' McIntosh said of his family.
McIntosh said the depth of the water just off the boat ramp can make it a hotspot for 'nefarious activity' and 'self-harm scenarios.'
'None of these are accident related,' he told CTV News.
Police have taped off the area and are working to corroborate the divers' findings.
'The divers from the 'Exploring with a Mission' group will meet with investigators, and an examination of the vehicle and its contents will be carried out once it has been removed from the Mille-Îles River in order to confirm the information obtained,' the Lac des Deux-Montagnes police service said in a news release.
'The assistance of divers from the Sûreté du Québec was requested on site, as certain information leads us to believe that the vehicle may be linked to a missing persons case in Laval,' the police force added.
The group of divers has been on a North American tour searching for missing people.
On July 11, they found a car belonging to Yvon Guévin, who had been missing for 11 years, in the Saint-François River.
With files from The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
Alliston man accused of murder in 2023 disappearance of Derek Perry
Jonn Gagnon (L) and Krystal Carleton (R) are accused in the homicide of Derek Perry. (Supplied)
CBC
27 minutes ago
- CBC
CAA survey suggests 73% of Ontarians support speed cameras, even as cams are cut down
A new survey suggests Ontarians broadly support automated speed enforcement, but its release comes as Toronto speed cameras continue to be chopped down. A Canadian Automobile Association South Central Ontario survey, conducted by market researcher DIG Insights and released Wednesday, finds 73 per cent of respondents support automated speed enforcement. The survey, which was conducted from March 7 to 19 and surveyed 1,500 Ontario drivers 18 or older, also found 76 per cent of respondents believe cameras deter speeding. The findings also suggested 73 per cent of those surveyed reported slowing down when nearing an automated speed enforcement camera and 52 per cent said they were unlikely to speed up again once they pass one up from 44 per cent in 2023. CAA community relations consultant Michael Stewart says this year's results suggested a bigger jump in tickets received than in years past. "If you have more cameras running automated speed enforcement, you will probably catch more drivers speeding, depending on what that speed is," he said in an interview with CBC Toronto. The survey found 23 per cent of respondents reported receiving a ticket from an automated speed enforcement camera, compared to 17 per cent in 2024. 25 cases of speed cam vandalism since 2024: city Earlier this year, the city doubled the number of automated speed cameras it uses to 150. Meanwhile, there have been 25 cases of vandalism to speed cameras in 2024 and 2025, the city told CBC Toronto in an emailed statement Wednesday. Overall, the survey findings suggest driver behaviours are changing, with 46 per cent of respondents reporting that they avoid roads with automated speed enforcement measures. That doesn't necessarily mean they're taking the reckless driving elsewhere, Stewart says. "Sometimes, people just don't want to risk an automated speed enforcement ticket so they found a new way to get to where they need to go," he said. "Maybe it's taking streets that have higher speed limits so they can travel at those speeds." Stewart added that in Ontario, anything over the posted limit is speeding and increases one's chance of a collision. "We don't want a driver to be involved in a crash. We don't want a pedestrian to be involved in a crash. So we really want to remind people that the posted speed limit is the speed limit for a reason," he said. Speed camera debate ongoing While the survey demonstrates strong support for speed cameras, Toronto saw 11 of its speed cameras vandalized in the first week of July. The Parkside Drive speed camera was chopped down a sixth time in just eight months at the beginning of July. Humber River-Black Creek Coun. Anthony Perruzza has said the city's speed camera program should be put on hold until September, calling them "speed traps." He later said he would work with Mayor Olivia Chow on amendments to a city report to the infrastructure committee on Vision Zero, Toronto's road safety strategy. "I think you see the angst with respect to the cameras because drivers don't see the camera. They don't know what the speed limit is because we don't make them clear. And then they get caught with a speed trap and then they react badly because you feel like there's this gotcha moment," he said. Perruzza says there needs to be better signage and suggested painting or wrapping the cameras in a visible colour. "Ultimately that's what we want to do, is change behaviour and make certain areas safer and not punish people monetarily," he said. Perruzza also says drivers who are first-time offenders are getting ticketed by speed cameras but shouldn't. Stewart says, no matter what, people shouldn't be vandalizing cameras. But he says the frustration does open up room for conversation and encourages the public to reach out to the city to better understand the reasons for them. With back to school season coming soon, the enforcement measures are all the more important, he says. "There will be a lot of kids in those areas and we really want to make sure that drivers are following those posted speed limits and keeping everyone safe," he said. City council is set to discuss automated speed enforcement over the next few days, which could bring drivers one step closer to clemency for first-time offenders and clearer signage.
CBC
27 minutes ago
- CBC
Family of mother killed in Kelowna, B.C., calls for changes to justice system in letter to PM
Social Sharing Premier David Eby said he delivered a letter from the family of Bailey McCourt to Prime Minister Mark Carney, outlining several policy recommendations related to domestic violence in Canada. James Edward Plover has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of McCourt, who was initially identified by Kelowna RCMP as Bailey Plover earlier this month. Police described the daylight attack in a parking lot, which also left another person with serious injuries, as a "highly visible and tragic event." In a letter obtained by CBC News, McCourt's family described the mother of two as a "vibrant, kind, and deeply-loved woman whose life was tragically cut short by an act of preventable violence." McCourt's family is now making four key recommendations to the federal government to prevent future deaths: To establish a domestic violence offender registry. Reform bail policy for high-risk domestic offenders. Mandate first-degree murder charges in intimate partner homicide. Require recognition of lethality risk indicators in bail hearings. Eby said he gave the letter to Prime Minister Carney on Tuesday. "There's a special place in hell for men that murder and attack their spouses or girlfriends," Eby said. "Ensuring that they stay behind bars and are not released to complete a cycle of violence is a priority for us." While in Ontario for a summit discussing trade talks, crime, and health care, with provincial and territorial leaders, Eby said when Carney dropped in to deliver a trade briefing on Tuesday, he "confirmed that he's on side" with tackling domestic concerns as well. On Wednesday, Eby said he has yet to receive an update from the prime minister regarding the letter, adding, "I certainly do hope to see a response in the form of criminal justice reform in the fall, particularly." The leaders entered their final day of talks on Wednesday, calling on Carney to make good on his promise to introduce legislation in the fall sitting of Parliament that will make it harder for repeat violent offenders to get bail. CBC News has been unable to confirm the current nature of the relationship between Plover and McCourt. The B.C. Prosecution Service previously confirmed Plover was convicted of three counts of uttering threats, and one count of assault by strangling on the same day as the attack. Court documents indicated the case concerned intimate partner violence. According to the prosecution service, Plover was under a bail order, with a $500 cash deposit, and "extensive protective conditions," on the day of the attack. Plover is in custody and due in court again on Sept. 16 and will be sentenced on his assault conviction later that month. "There is an opportunity, an obligation, to make meaningful, life-saving changes," the letter by Bailey McCourt's family reads, "We owe it to Bailey, and to every woman whose life may be in danger today, to act decisively and without delay."
