She was once a Canadian sports icon, but these days Myriam Bédard's life has spun into a bizarre tale of estrangement from her family, repeated courthouse appearances, claims that she and her husband are victims of persecution - and a sudden departure to the United States.
Her exact whereabouts for the past two weeks are unclear and police in her hometown of Quebec City have been asked by her first husband to investigate her for allegedly breaching the conditions of shared custody of their daughter.
Ms. Bédard first came to fame as a two-time gold medalist in biathlon.
Her slide from sports hero to eccentric outcast began in 2004 when she said that her boyfriend, Nima Mazhari, persuaded then-prime-minister Jean Chrétien to keep Canada out of the war in Iraq.
A few months later, Mr. Mazhari was charged with stealing paintings from a Montreal artist. He acted as his own lawyer at his preliminary hearing, which ended with a decision to send him to trial next spring.
Then, a month ago, Ms. Bédard and Mr. Mazhari left for the United States, announcing that they wanted to escape "Canadian bureaucratic terrorism."
The couple sent letters to various notables, from Quebec Premier Jean Charest, to U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
A police source said that Ms. Bédard and Mr. Mazhari had been in Washington, speaking about seeking asylum.
The source said Ms. Bédard's last known contact with someone in Canada took place two weeks ago during a phone chat with her first husband, Jean Paquet.
Mr. Paquet was unhappy that she had left with their 11-year-old daughter, Maude. Quebec City police have since been asked to investigate.
"We've just opened a file," a Quebec City police spokesman said. "As of now we're not saying it's a kidnapping since there is no evidence of criminal intent."
Ms. Bédard did not answer calls to her cellphone yesterday. Contacted through an intermediary, Mr. Paquet declined to comment, saying, "It's a personal family matter."
Ms. Bédard wasn't charged in the painting-theft case against her husband. However, she is named in a police affidavit filed to obtain a search warrant.
The affidavit says that she asked her father, Pierre Bédard, to keep some of the paintings that are alleged to have been stolen. Ms. Bédard has said the artwork came from her personal collection.
Mr. Bédard has told reporters that he feels his daughter has fallen under Mr. Mazhari's spell. "She hasn't been in touch with her family in years," one source said.
Her former agent, Jean-Marc Saint-Pierre, issued a vitriolic statement in 2004, saying it would be the last time he would "waste time speaking about her."
"Madame Bédard, you made the choice of leading your life in a new way, deal with it now," he wrote.
He added that he still had an autographed memento from her. "If someone wants to sell it at an auction for charity, contact me. Hurry up because its value is decreasing daily."
Mr. Mazhari is a sculptor and painter. He tells associates that he was born in Iran and came to Canada after living for a time in Paris. An acquaintance said he met Ms. Bédard while doing a series of paintings of famous Quebec women.
Before meeting him, Ms. Bédard had a reputation as a maverick with a history of disputes with sports authorities.
"Her challenges were well documented through her competitive career. Now people look back and they may ask if something was going on or not," said Roch Pilon, marketing director of Biathlon Canada.
Ms. Bédard won a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, and two gold medals at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
She was back in the headlines in 2004 when she made allegations about misspending at Via Rail in connection with the sponsorship scandal.
Via Rail chairman Jean Pelletier derided her as a "pitiful" single mother, which contributed to his dismissal.
Ms. Bédard's credibility, however, evaporated a few months later during Commons committee testimony where she made a series of eyebrow-raising, unsubstantiated allegations.
The couple has also made headlines by being embroiled in various court proceedings against people with whom they have had commercial dealings.
Tu Thanh Ha