SAINT-APOLLINAIRE—Quebec provincial police believe they have found the bodies of two young sisters during a search for them and their father.
A police spokeswoman says they believe the bodies discovered Saturday belong to Norah Carpentier, 11, and her sister, Romy Carpentier, 6, who were last seen on Wednesday evening.
The spokeswoman, Ann Mathieu, says police cannot confirm the girls are dead.
She says an Amber Alert that was issued for the girls on Thursday has been lifted.
Police say their priority now is to find the girls’ father, Martin Carpentier, who they say could still be in the area of St-Apollinaire, a suburb of Quebec City.
They are asking anyone who sees him to immediately contact 911.
Investigators said they believe the girls and their father were involved in an accident Wednesday night when the vehicle they were in skidded into the median, flipped over, and landed on the shoulder of the opposite lanes of Highway 20.
Carpentier’s car was found empty after the crash, and police have been searching a wooded, rural area near where it took place.
Police spokeswoman Ann Mathieu said that objects were found in the woods during the search. She did not specify what those objects were to avoid affecting the investigation, but she said they will be analyzed to see if they are related.
The search for the missing girls was carried out on foot, on horseback, and on ATVs, and a police canine unit, as well as a helicopter, are also being used, Mathieu added.
“Everything has been done to find the missing people, Martin Carpentier and his two daughters, as quickly as possible,” Mathieu said.
Police say they searched more than 150 kilometers of forests, roads, and cottage access routes on Friday.
On Friday afternoon, Carpentier’s current partner, Cathy Gingras, pleaded for him to contact his family in a video shared on the police’s social media accounts.
“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.”
