Amelie Lemieux, right, is comforted by family members as she holds pictures of her two daughters, Romy and Norah Carpentier, at a memorial in Levis, Que. on Monday, July 13, 2020. The bodies of Norah and Romy Carpentier, aged 11 and 6, were located in a wooded area in St-Apollinaire, Que., but Martin Carpentier, who is suspected of abducting the girls, remains missing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques BoissinotJacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
For some family friends of Martin Carpentier, who is wanted in connection with the deaths of his two young daughters southwest of Quebec City, it’s impossible to square the man they know with the person in the news.
Mr. Carpentier is the subject of a week-long manhunt – believed to be evading capture in the dense woods near his hometown of Lévis, Que. – and a suspect in the deaths of six-year-old Romy and 11-year-old Norah. The girls were described by their mother as “princesses” in an anguished tribute earlier this week.
The discovery of their bodies last Saturday has left a province in mourning, and his disappearance has put a region on edge.
Those who are familiar with the 44-year-old think of him as a quiet family man, a hardworking father and an even-keeled ex to his former partner, Amélie Lemieux, and can scarcely believe they are reading about him as a possibly dangerous fugitive.
“We are astounded,” said Lise Duval, Ms. Lemieux’s godmother, who currently lives in Florida.
Mr. Carpentier was reserved and introverted, but was “good-natured” and, above all, kept the best interests of his daughters at heart, Ms. Duval said. A few years ago, when Norah was an only child, the couple took a trip to Florida where Mr. Carpentier made sure his priority “was to make sure [she] had lots of fun,” taking her to Disneyworld and other popular tourist sites.
When Ms. Duval visited the family in Quebec, she remembers how welcoming he was, and the “famous ribs” he made on the barbecue. “He always had a nice smile when I visited,” she said. “He did all he could so that I felt comfortable.”
Reports that Mr. Carpentier may be involved in the deaths of his daughters have left Ms. Duval dumbfounded. “I have no idea what might have caused this. We are heartbroken.”
Mr. Carpentier worked as a house painter and drywaller. He has also been a Scout leader since September, 2019, according to l’Association des Scouts du Canada, a pursuit he shared with his eldest daughter, Norah, who was a Cub Scout.
Ms. Lemieux and Mr. Carpentier met while she was pregnant with Norah, about 11 years ago, according to Caroline Pelletier, a long-time friend of the mother.
Amelie Lemieux, centre, is comforted by family members at a memorial for her two daughters, Romy and Norah Carpentier, in Levis, Que. on July 13, 2020.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
At the time, “he seemed like a nice guy, grounded [and] reserved. He didn’t talk a lot,” she remembered of their first meeting. Over the course of their relationship, Mr. Carpentier was always a “chill guy” whom she never saw yell or get agitated. But, she recalled, “they didn’t look like a couple, they weren’t so warm and affectionate. I never saw them kiss each other or get too close in front of us.”
The couple ended their relationship about four years ago. “Things weren’t working out,” said Ms. Pelletier, who would not reveal further details about the split, but said it was amicable.
Mr. Carpentier moved into the semi-detached home next to his in-laws after the breakup, so that his daughters would not have to move neighbourhoods or change schools. Ms. Duval says her goddaughter moved to a nearby apartment.
“They were both always very involved in the lives of their children,” she said of the separated couple, who are both now in long-term relationships of their own. “If one needed help at some point, they always accommodated one another.”
“Amélie is an excellent mom, and from the way I [got to] know Martin, he was also a good dad,” said Ms. Duval, who last spoke to Ms. Lemieux a week ago. “So there is something that happened that is not explicable yet.”
It is not just Ms. Duval who finds herself at a loss to explain the horror that has unfolded. Mr. Carpentier has remained an enigma to a large extent. Few details about him have emerged.
The Sûreté du Québec described him as 5-foot-10 and 130 pounds, and last seen wearing a grey T-shirt.
Last Friday, before the bodies of the girls were discovered, the SQ released an emotional video appeal from Mr. Carpentier’s current partner, Cathy Gingras, asking him to show himself.
“Martin, we’re worried,” she said, visibly upset. “Give us some news, give us a sign, call your parents – anything. … We just want to know if you’re alright.”
Much remains unknown about the circumstances leading to Mr. Carpentier’s disappearance and the death of his daughters. The SQ says they will not release autopsy results for Norah and Romy until their father is found, to preserve the integrity of the investigation. Family members did not respond to requests for comment this week.
Martin Carpentier, 44, is shown in this undated police handout photo.The Canadian Press
Mr. Carpentier was last seen at a convenience store in Lévis around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, after having bought ice cream for the girls. Minutes later, his car crashed on a nearby highway, jumping the median and ending up badly damaged, according to the SQ. The vehicle was empty by the time police arrived.
The ensuing Amber Alert was the longest in Quebec history and ended only when the girls were found lifeless in the woods near the town of Saint-Apollinaire, Que., about 25 kilometres west of Lévis, on Saturday.
The search for Mr. Carpentier has been intensive, involving dozens of officers and a wide range of equipment, including dog teams, ATVs, and even a Transport Canada airplane that used an infrared camera to try and detect him in the forest below. The force has mainly been searching within a perimeter of about 50 square kilometres in the densely wooded area around Saint-Apollinaire.
Members of the public have reported sightings as far away as the Gaspé Peninsula, hundreds of kilometres east, and speculation among wilderness and criminal psychology experts has suggested that his chances of survival were low.
But on Thursday, police said they believed Mr. Carpentier was alive after finding evidence that he had broken into a local trailer for sustenance. Police appealed to local property owners to remain vigilant and keep an eye out for missing items as the search continued.
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Eric Andrew-Gee