The chief of police in Bathurst, N.B., says they’re trying to “remain optimistic” in the search for a teen who went missing two weeks ago, but that “we have to be prepared for the worst scenario.”
Madison Roy-Boudreau, 14, was last seen on May 11.
Bathurst Police Force Chief Stéphane Roy held a news conference Thursday and confirmed a man is in custody, but they said due to a publication ban, cannot say whether the man’s arrest is linked to the case.
Roy offered a timeline of the teen’s disappearance and the search for her.
The girl was reported missing by her father at 11:18 p.m. on May 11. He had last seen her going to school that morning.
After speaking with some people, police discovered Madison was spotted getting into a grey Ford Ranger pickup truck that morning.
Police were able to identify and find the vehicle “quickly” and kept surveillance on the truck and residence where it was found.
On May 13, officers arrested the driver of the pickup truck and took him into custody.
As part of a timeline revealed by Bathurst police on Thursday, Roy then said 42-year-old Steven Laurette of South Tetagouche was charged with failing to comply with the condition of a court undertaking. Roy would not say what the undertaking was related to, but said Laurette remains in custody.
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Through their investigation, police discovered the truck and identified the driver. They say the vehicle may have been near a quarry at 2100 St. Anne St., and that’s where police and ground search and rescue crews spent days looking for Madison.
“The search was on an area of unpredictable terrain and thick wooded areas,” said Roy.
“Volunteers worked tirelessly for 12 to 16 hour days for three consecutive days. It became clear to the incident commander that the combination of fatigue, extreme heat and rain forecasts for the following days would not allow for an efficient or for safe continued search of the terrain.”
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Roy said that he made the decision to suspend the search for two days this past weekend, and that Madison’s father respected that decision.
“It was done for the safety and wellbeing of the volunteers. This decision was not taken lightly,” he said.
The search resumed Monday and Tuesday of this week. Searchers did not find Madison.
Roy also said Madison’s disappearance did not meet the criteria to issue an Amber Alert, but declined to say which part of the criteria it did not meet because it was an ongoing investigation.
“We understand that throughout this process, some members of the public had questions regarding the search for Madison. However, we must note that there’s a clear distinction between what is a missing person’s report and what is a criminal investigation into a missing person’s report,” Roy said.
“We are conducting a criminal investigation into a missing person’s report and as such, we are not at liberty to disclose pertinent information to what could eventually be for a criminal proceeding, this for fear of jeopardizing or compromising the integrity of the investigation.”
Police say they have a “substantial” amount of video evidence and eyewitness accounts. They are now asking for anyone with dashcam video from May 11, who was driving in the area, to bring it to police.
“We’re receiving tips, information on a daily basis. Our officers are following up on leads. We’re working collaboratively with the RCMP. The investigation continues,” Roy said.
“Anything we can discover that can help us find out where Madison is or has been and of course we welcome any information from the public.”
When asked what the chances are of bringing Madison home safely, Roy said as a community, they must be prepared for bad news.
“We want to remain optimistic. We want to find Madison safe but we know that with every passing day that goes by that we don’t find her and we don’t have news from her …” he started.
“I guess we want to stay optimistic but as a community and especially the family, we have to be prepared for the worst scenario.”
Madison is described as 1.6 metres tall, weighing 54 kilograms, with brown eyes and medium-length brown hair.
She was last seen wearing a grey sweater, a pair of camouflage-coloured pants and silver shoes.
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