Coroner confirms remains found in Mille-Îles river are Robert St-Louis, missing for 37 Years
Laval police shared the news Monday on Facebook, officially closing a case that had remained unsolved for 37 years. In a post, they offered condolences to St-Louis's family, praising their 'great resilience' and decades of continued contact with investigators.
St-Louis was 42 when he vanished in June 1988. His beige Jeep Cherokee was located earlier this month in the Mille-Îles River by Exploring With a Mission, a U.S.-based volunteer diving team that searches waterways for missing people. Bones were found inside the vehicle, along with personal belongings including his sunglasses and a distinctive gold watch.
Daniel St-Louis, his son, said the discovery brought a difficult but needed sense of closure.
'We're torn between the 37-year grief that's coming out and also a little bit of satisfaction that, finally, we're going to begin to be able to grieve,' he previously told The Gazette.
The cause of death remains under investigation but Daniel said 'everything seems to point' to suicide.
The discovery was made with the help of sonar equipment near a boat launch in Deux-Montagnes.
The family says it is still deciding how to honour St-Louis, but it will likely involve a pint of O'Keefe's.
With files from The Gazette's Kalina Laframboise
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