Girlfriend of father of two missing Quebec girls pleads for their safety in video

The girlfriend of the father of the two missing girls from Lévis pleaded for him to contact his family on Friday as the Amber Alert continues into its second day.

In a video released by the Quebec provincial police, Cathy Gingras asks Martin Carpentier, 44, who has been missing since Wednesday night along with his two young daughters Romy and Norah Carpentier, to give his family a sign of life.

“Martin, we’re worried. We haven’t heard from you since the accident. We’re wondering if you’re okay, the girls, Romy, Norah,” said Gingras, who is in tears in the video.

“Give us some news, give us a sign, call your parents, anything. What’s important is that you’re OK, we don’t care about anything else. We just want to know you’re OK,” Gingras continues.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police are still searching for the two missing little girls and their father on Friday in Saint-Apollinaire, a suburb of Quebec City.

The SQ says officers canvassed the area all night Thursday after an Amber Alert was triggered on earlier that afternoon. Special teams with the police force are continuing the search.

“Investigation work is continuing in the field to try to locate the children and their father,” the SQ said in a statement on social media. “All the information transmitted to us is analyzed and verified by our investigators.”

READ MORE: Amber Alert issued for 2 missing girls in Quebec

Police issued the alert at around 3 p.m. on Thursday for Norah Carpentier, 11, and Romy Carpentier, 6, from Lévis. The area is located across the St. Lawrence River just south of Quebec City.

Investigators believe the two girls and their father, Martin Carpentier, were involved in a car crash on Highway 20 in Saint-Apollinaire around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. The car was abandoned when it was found, according to police.

Police say they believe the trio left the scene on foot and are in the area. Residents have been asked to check their properties, including sheds and cottages.

SQ spokeswoman Audrey-Anne Bilodeau said Friday police aren’t ruling out anything in their search for the two girls and their father.

“All the hypotheses are on the table, and kidnapping is among them,” Bilodeau said, “but the priority for us is that we have missing people that could be injured.”

Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Friday afternoon that about 80 people were involved in the search, both on the ground and in the air, and that the province had put all of its resources into finding the girls.

“All my thoughts are with the family, and we really hope that this ends well, that we find the two young girls safe and sound,” Legault said.

A woman who says she is the mother of the two girls posted their photos on Facebook Thursday, saying “we need to find my daughters and their father.”

Pina Arcamone, director of the Missing Children’s Network, said the success of finding these children relies on the participation of the public.

“A missing child is everyone’s responsibility,” she said. Arcamone added that it has been nearly 48 hours since the girls went missing, adding that the public has to do everything they can to help authorities search for these girls.

She added that when people check in on their cabins and sheds to also look for missing or displaced items. “Every piece of information is valuable and can contribute to locating the whereabouts of these two girls.”

Norah, the eldest child, is 11 and stands five feet two inches tall. She was last seen wearing a white cap and white Nike sandals.

Romy stands three feet tall and weighs 43 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt, heart-shaped earrings and red nail polish.

View image in full screen

Martin Carpentier, 44, was last seen wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans and might be wearing glasses. He is around five feet 10 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.

— With files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Felicia Parrillo