Latest news with #St-Louis
Toronto Sun
14 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Coroner confirms remains found in Quebec river are man missing for 37 Years
His submerged vehicle was found near Deux-Montagnes after a group searched the river using advanced sonar. Published Jul 29, 2025 • Last updated 16 hours ago • 1 minute read Robert St-Louis's Jeep Cherokee was pulled from the Mille-Îles River in Deux-Montagnes this week after being located by Exploring with a Mission. St-Louis had vanished in 1988. Exploring with a Mission The Quebec coroner's office has confirmed that human remains found inside a submerged vehicle in Deux-Montagnes last week are those of Robert St-Louis, who went missing in 1988. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 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 Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Columnists MLB Tennis
Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Montreal Gazette
Coroner confirms remains found in Mille-Îles river are Robert St-Louis, missing for 37 Years
The Quebec coroner's office has confirmed that human remains found inside a submerged vehicle in Deux-Montagnes last week are those of Robert St-Louis, who went missing in 1988. 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
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
After 37 years, a Jeep in a river solves the mystery of his dad's disappearance
By 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. '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. 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. 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. '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. 'It's an answer that we might not have wanted to receive, but in some way, we needed to have it.' 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. '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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 'No one is equipped like them,' St-Louis said. 'It's 3D sonar and all that. It's incredible.' Upon their discovery, the team contacted the authorities, he said. In the days that followed, Laval police have been very supportive of their family and authorities have kept them up to date on any developments, he added. In an email Friday, Laval police told The Gazette that the investigation is ongoing and the department is still awaiting DNA results. A spokesperson for the Quebec coroner's office also said the identity has not yet been confirmed. As they await confirmation, the last week has been both difficult and much needed for Robert's widow and five children. The exact cause of death must also be determined, but St-Louis said 'everything seems to point' to suicide. '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,' St-Louis said. Describing him as a strict and traditional man, St-Louis said his father was passionate about his work in the fur trade. He loved to go fishing with his son and he was very generous, he added. 'We were fishers,' he said. 'So, practically every weekend we went fishing on the boat.' Daniel St-Louis never got to introduce his wife or children to Robert, but they were all close with his father's twin brother, who died a few years ago. But there are parts of Robert that lived on in other ways: Daniel has the same striking blue eyes, and likens his passion for work to his dad's, saying this week it helped take care of his spirit. He also still loves to fish and share that with his grandsons. The family is slowly starting to discuss how they will honour Robert's life. They haven't finalized plans, but they were thinking about how he was part of the Knights of Columbus and how to incorporate that, drinking a 'big beautiful' pint of O'Keefe's because that's what he liked, 'even if it wasn't good,' St-Louis said, laughing. — with files from Jesse Feith of The Gazette
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Toronto Sun
How volunteer sleuths from Rhode Island solved the disappearances of two Quebec men
Exploring with a Mission came to Quebec with equipment to search waterways for vehicles of missing people. Published Jul 25, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read Robert St-Louis's Jeep Cherokee was pulled from the Mille-Îles River in Deux-Montagnes this week after being located by Exploring with a Mission. St-Louis had vanished in 1988. Exploring with a Mission After speaking with Robert St-Louis's daughter, Bill McIntosh's first thought was to search for her father along the eastern bank of the Mille-Îles River, near where he lived in Laval. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But as McIntosh explains, the depth there wasn't right. Most of the river's edge was only a few feet deep, far too shallow to hide the Jeep Cherokee St-Louis drove when he vanished in 1988. Where St-Louis was known to fish across the river in Deux-Montagnes, he learned, was much different. Near a popular boat ramp, the bank drops steeply by about 70 feet. Last weekend, McIntosh and his diving partner used sonar devices to locate St-Louis's vehicle there. They then retrieved a small U-shaped bone believed to be a mandible. While the remains need to be officially identified, it was the second of two cold cases the small diving group from Rhode Island is believed to have solved while visiting Quebec this month. 'It's been a humbling experience,' McIntosh, 54, said this week while packing from the trip. 'We're just grateful we were able to bring two people home in your country.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. McIntosh, a hockey club owner and coach, and his partner Dan Pritchard, a former police diver from Australia, are the duo behind the non-profit Exploring with a Mission. They began working together in 2023, sharing their search efforts on YouTube. They focus on searching waterways for missing people whose vehicles were never recovered, under the assumption that the cars are likely submerged in bodies of water. They estimate there are up to 100,000 discarded cars in North American waters and 3,000 people reported missing along with their vehicles. So far, they have successfully located missing individuals in Australia, the U.S., and Canada. Travelling with an RV, boat trailer and their equipment, they arrived in Quebec in early July with a list of a dozen cold cases carefully mapped out by region. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Once here, they were helped by a local non-profit, Meurtres et Disparitions Irrésolus du Québec (MDIQ). The group connected them with surviving family members and helped bridge any language barriers. 'They've done excellent work,' Stéphane Luce, who heads the MDIQ, said this week. 'And I think there are many, many other waterways that could be searched in Quebec to try to find more cars, possibly with people in them.' The diving team's first success during its trip came on July 10 in Pierreville, a small municipality in the Mauricie region. Yvon Guévin, a 75-year-old former town councillor, was reported missing in 2014 after leaving his home in his 1989 Jeep Cherokee, accompanied by his dog, a Miniature Pinscher named Costaud. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The team met with Guévin's family to better understand his habits and what McIntosh calls a person's 'natural circle': their usual commute from work, say, or places they were known to visit After speaking with a local fisherman, the team learned Guévin would often take a specific drive along the St-François River. Along the route, McIntosh noticed that an intersection led to a steep embankment without a guardrail. 'It was a standard accident scenario,' he said. 'You turn six inches off the road, and you're in the river.' The team entered the water with their sonar equipment and, within minutes, located Guévin's car. Pritchard emerged soon after with the license plate matching his missing person report. Police later retrieved the car from the river and authorities are working to confirm the remains found inside. Guévin's family and friends watched the scene unfold, sharing fist bumps and hugs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They were just happy to finally have an answer after all of this time,' McIntosh said. The team also traveled to Louiseville to conduct searches for Mélissa Blais, a 34-year-old mother missing since 2017, and to Maniwaki to look for Christine Thibault, a 63-year-old missing for 16 years. Searches were inconclusive in both cases, but they checked every possible location the families suggested. Sometimes that alone can be comforting for families, McIntosh said. 'It gives them an answer as to where they aren't,' he said. 'They won't drive by a body of water every day and think, 'Is dad in there? Or, is my grandfather in there?'' At the site in Deux-Montagnes where they found St-Louis's car, they also located several other vehicles in the river. Police have since retrieved three and say they do not believe they are related to other disappearances or homicides. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The team's findings in such a short timeframe have raised questions about why Quebec police departments were unable to solve the cases earlier. McIntosh noted that most police departments use older sonar equipment that may not allow them to locate vehicles as effectively. He says he gave the Sûreté du Québec one of his sonar set-ups before leaving, 'so that they have additional tools to start building on.' After media coverage of their success in Quebec, the team received inquiries from several families across the province. They've now added a handful of other local cases to their list, and intend on returning to search for them. 'What we're trying to teach everybody is that there are vehicles everywhere in our waterways,' McIntosh said. 'And many of them hold secrets.' Toronto & GTA Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA World Sunshine Girls
Montreal Gazette
6 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
How volunteer sleuths from Rhode Island solved the disappearances of two Quebec men
By Jesse Feith After speaking with Robert St-Louis's daughter, Bill McIntosh's first thought was to search for her father along the eastern bank of the Mille-Îles River, near where he lived in Laval. But as McIntosh explains, the depth there wasn't right. Most of the river's edge was only a few feet deep, far too shallow to hide the Jeep Cherokee St-Louis drove when he vanished in 1988. Where St-Louis was known to fish across the river in Deux-Montagnes, he learned, was much different. Near a popular boat ramp, the bank drops steeply by about 70 feet. Last weekend, McIntosh and his diving partner used sonar devices to locate St-Louis's vehicle there. They then retrieved a small U-shaped bone believed to be a mandible. While the remains need to be officially identified, it was the second of two cold cases the small diving group from Rhode Island is believed to have solved while visiting Quebec this month. 'It's been a humbling experience,' McIntosh, 54, said this week while packing from the trip. 'We're just grateful we were able to bring two people home in your country.' McIntosh, a hockey club owner and coach, and his partner Dan Pritchard, a former police diver from Australia, are the duo behind the non-profit Exploring with a Mission. They began working together in 2023, sharing their search efforts on YouTube. They focus on searching waterways for missing people whose vehicles were never recovered, under the assumption that the cars are likely submerged in bodies of water. They estimate there are up to 100,000 discarded cars in North American waters and 3,000 people reported missing along with their vehicles. So far, they have successfully located missing individuals in Australia, the U.S., and Canada. Travelling with an RV, boat trailer and their equipment, they arrived in Quebec in early July with a list of a dozen cold cases carefully mapped out by region. Once here, they were helped by a local non-profit, Meurtres et Disparitions Irrésolus du Québec (MDIQ). The group connected them with surviving family members and helped bridge any language barriers. 'They've done excellent work,' Stéphane Luce, who heads the MDIQ, said this week. 'And I think there are many, many other waterways that could be searched in Quebec to try to find more cars, possibly with people in them.' The diving team's first success during its trip came on July 10 in Pierreville, a small municipality in the Mauricie region. Yvon Guévin, a 75-year-old former town councillor, was reported missing in 2014 after leaving his home in his 1989 Jeep Cherokee, accompanied by his dog, a Miniature Pinscher named Costaud. The team met with Guévin's family to better understand his habits and what McIntosh calls a person's 'natural circle': their usual commute from work, say, or places they were known to visit After speaking with a local fisherman, the team learned Guévin would often take a specific drive along the St-François River. Along the route, McIntosh noticed that an intersection led to a steep embankment without a guardrail. 'It was a standard accident scenario,' he said. 'You turn six inches off the road, and you're in the river.' The team entered the water with their sonar equipment and, within minutes, located Guévin's car. Pritchard emerged soon after with the license plate matching his missing person report. Police later retrieved the car from the river and authorities are working to confirm the remains found inside. Guévin's family and friends watched the scene unfold, sharing fist bumps and hugs. 'They were just happy to finally have an answer after all of this time,' McIntosh said. The team also traveled to Louiseville to conduct searches for Mélissa Blais, a 34-year-old mother missing since 2017, and to Maniwaki to look for Christine Thibault, a 63-year-old missing for 16 years. Searches were inconclusive in both cases, but they checked every possible location the families suggested. Sometimes that alone can be comforting for families, McIntosh said. 'It gives them an answer as to where they aren't,' he said. 'They won't drive by a body of water every day and think, 'Is dad in there? Or, is my grandfather in there?'' At the site in Deux-Montagnes where they found St-Louis's car, they also located several other vehicles in the river. Police have since retrieved three and say they do not believe they are related to other disappearances or homicides. The team's findings in such a short timeframe have raised questions about why Quebec police departments were unable to solve the cases earlier. McIntosh noted that most police departments use older sonar equipment that may not allow them to locate vehicles as effectively. He says he gave the Sûreté du Québec one of his sonar set-ups before leaving, 'so that they have additional tools to start building on.' After media coverage of their success in Quebec, the team received inquiries from several families across the province. They've now added a handful of other local cases to their list, and intend on returning to search for them. 'What we're trying to teach everybody is that there are vehicles everywhere in our waterways,' McIntosh said. 'And many of them hold secrets.'
