Police say Quebec sisters were victims of a double murder committed by their father

MONTREAL – Provincial police say two young sisters found dead after an Amber Alert near Quebec City this month were murdered with a blunt object by their father.

The police force provided an update Wednesday on the investigation into the deaths of Norah and Romy Carpentier and the discovery of the body of Martin Carpentier, who took his own life.

The bodies of Norah, 11, and Romy, 6, were found on July 11 in a wooded area in St-Apollinaire, southwest of Quebec City.

On July 8 when the car was discovered with no occupants inside, provincial police say there was no reason to believe the father was a danger to Norah and Romy Carpentier. That's why an Amber Alert was not triggered that day – the presumption was that they were safe somewhere.

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) July 22, 2020

Martin Carpentier’s body was found Monday night several kilometres away, 12 days after he and the girls disappeared following a July 8 car crash that police have determined was not deliberate. The investigation showed Carpentier attempted to regain control of the vehicle.

The SQ say the entire sequence of events took place within a 12-hour span, beginning on the evening of July 8 and ending by the morning of July 9.

RELATED: Funeral for young Quebec sisters found dead following Amber Alert

The Amber Alert was triggered the day after the crash, but police say the sisters, injured in the accident, had already been killed that morning.

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“There was worry, but you have to understand they were implicated in a car crash so it was a worry in regards to their status or health following the car crash,” Chief Insp. Guy Lapointe told reporters. “It wasn’t a worry that the father would do anything to the daughters, and that’s exactly what we were getting from the family.’

“We weren’t looking at a kidnapping-type scenario.”

Witnesses saw the father and daughters crossing the highway into the woods after the accident. Carpentier was carrying one girl while the other walked alongside him. Police believe the girls were injured in the car crash.

The property where the suicide took place was visited by police July 10 and 17. Police spoke to the owner both times. On the property was a ladder, the owner had multiple ladders, and did not realize there was one missing.

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) July 22, 2020

“Every behaviour that was noted … prior to that moment, is behaviour that is normal, that fits what we would expect from that individual,” said Lapointe. “Except that from that point on, following the crash, it’s everything else that doesn’t add up to what we would call normal behaviour.”

Roughly 1.7 kilometres from the crash site, Carpentier went into a camper – the girls did not go inside the camper.

The property where Carpentier’s suicide took place was visited by police twice – on July 10 and July 17. Authorities spoke to the owner both times and nothing led them to believe Carpentier was there. The owner of the property had multiple ladders and did not notice one was missing.

Provincial police say the area where the body was eventually found was not visible from the property due to the density of the woods.

Lapointe says the criminal investigation is complete, and the province’s coroner will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.