The Quebec coroner’s office has tapped a Montreal police investigator to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance and deaths of young sisters Norah and Romy Carpentier in 2020.
The coroner’s office received new information in the case after the program Enquête — Affaire Carpentier: sur la piste des errors aired on Radio-Canada on March 10. It looked into a Quebec man who killed his daughters before taking his own life in July 2020.
The information, which had not been given to the coroner at the time of the investigation, along with questions raised by the television program, prompted the chief coroner to order an second investigation.
Since Montreal police have not been involved in the case, one of the department’s investigators will be tasked with collecting all relevant information and documentation as well as meeting new witnesses.
Sophie Régnière, the coroner who investigated the deaths of the Carpentier sisters, has criticized the work of Quebec provincial police officers. After her report was filed, she said at a news conference last November that police took far too much time to launch an Amber Alert to find the missing girls.
After an analysis of the new elements, Régnière could amend her investigation report or recommend ordering a public inquiry.
On July 8 2020, Norah and Romy’s father took them out for an ice cream cone. Martin Carpentier’s car was involved in a serious accident shortly before 9:30 p.m. on Highway 20 in Saint-Apollinaire, located north of Quebec City.
When police arrived at the scene, there was no one in the damaged car and officers began searching the area. An Amber Alert for the missing pair of sisters was only issued the afternoon of the following day.
— with files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise