Quebec police make arrest in four-decade-old homicide case in Bas-Saint-Laurent region

The Quebec provincial police cold case unit says it has resolved a 46-year-old homicide, with a male suspect facing a manslaughter charge.

The unidentified man was arrested in connection with the February 1979 killing of Adrien Allard in Causapscal, Que., in the Bas-St-Laurent region northeast of Quebec City.

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Provincial police say two men wearing snowmobile gear showed up at the home of Allard and his brother and attacked them.

The brothers defended themselves during the attack but Allard, 47, was killed.

Investigators questioned the suspect in February 2025 and released him pending further investigation.

The cold case unit says in a statement that evidence gathered at the time of the killing and new techniques allowed investigators to link the suspect to the crime.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2025.