The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) says the bodies of two people, believed to be Stéphane Roy and his 14-year-old son, have been found.
The Quebec businessman and his son Justin, had not been seen since July 10.
On Thursday afternoon, the SQ confirmed it spotted an aircraft on the ground in the Lac Valtrie area, north of Mont-Tremblant.
A ground team was dispatched to the scene to investigate and discovered the bodies.
“Everything leads us to believe that the two people inside the aircraft are Stéphane Roy and his son,” the SQ said in a tweet. “A formal identification will follow.”
SQ spokesperson Stéphane Tremblay offered few details about Thursday’s discovery, only saying it was an evolving situation and an investigation is underway.
READ MORE: The Royal Canadian Air Force to end search for Quebec businessman and son
An extensive search, involving the air force, the Canadian Coast Guard and other rescue services was launched after the father and son were reported missing.
They failed to return from a fishing trip at a remote cabin in Lac de la Bidière, a remote area in the Upper Laurentians region, west of La Tuque, Que. The pair were aboard Roy’s Robinson R44 helicopter.
READ MORE: Missing Quebec business man’s family wants SQ to ramp up searches on the ground
The initial search area was about 20,000 square kilometres, but rescuers used cellular data to narrow the search zone to about 2,200 square kilometres.
On Saturday, the Canadian Armed Forces announced it would be ending its air search operations and handing the file to provincial police as a missing persons case.
In a social media post, the SQ expressed its condolences to the family and thanked its officers for their hard work.
“Although the outcome is not what we wanted, we are proud of our members’ tireless work since the beginning of this sad event.”
Quebec Premier François Legault also commented on the tragic events.
“I am saddened to learn of the death of Stéphane Roy and his son Justin,” he wrote on Twitter. “On behalf of our government, I extend my deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and all Tomates Savoura employees. All of Quebec is behind you in these difficult times.”
Roy is the founder and owner of Les Serres Sagami Inc., which produces greenhouse-grown tomatoes and other produce under the Sagami and Savoura brands.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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