Quebec provincial police are “modifying” the ground search for 44-year-old Martin Carpentier, father of Romy, 6, and Norah, 11 who were found dead last week.
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Hélène Nepton said the word “suspended” is not the right term to describe the move towards a new investigation strategy.
In a press release published late Saturday night, the SQ announced it will be changing its strategy and “resources” in order to find the man who has been missing for 11 days.
Provincial police won’t specify the details of the investigation.
In a statement, the SQ said investigators completed the search in the areas where information led them to believe Carpentier might have frequented.
“We are looking into new information (which will allow us) to redeploy our resources in other areas,” the SQ wrote.
The mayor of Saint-Apollinaire, Bernard Ouellet, said there’s been a lot of stress among residents of the small town southwest of Quebec City.
Ouellet told the Canadian Press he’s satisfied with the SQ’s search to find Carpentier.
Police have “received, processed, validated and analyzed (over) 1,000 reports” since the trio’s disappearance on July 8, the statement said.
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On Thursday, it seemed there was a tipping point in the investigation as authorities noted finding evidence of the 44-year-old in a trailer around the Saint-Apollinaire area. Police say the evidence pointed to Carpentier still being alive.
The new information sounded an alarm around the Lotbinière municipality, where residents were being asked to carefully search their chalets, camps and trailers for possible traces of break-ins, such as missing or moved equipment, laundry, food and living supplies.
“We have searched over 700 addresses, outbuildings, cottages and other places to locate or find clues,” the SQ wrote in its press release also thanking the cooperation and openness of owners.
Strategies have been reassessed multiple times during the investigation, police note.
READ MORE: Quebec manhunt intensifies as police search cabins for missing father
The SQ is still asking the public to contact authorities with any information regarding the case.
The days-long search for Norah and Romy came to an end last week after they were found dead in a wooded area of Saint-Apollinaire. Authorities said they were last seen with their father.
An Amber Alert was triggered for the girls, who were from nearby Lévis, Que., on July 9. Police believe they were involved in a car crash the night before on Highway 20.
Autopsies were performed on the two girls, but police have declined to reveal the cause of death as long as Carpentier is at large.
A funeral will be held for the Carpentier sisters next Monday afternoon in their hometown.
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