Police delayed sending Amber Alert until learning more about father’s psychological state, inquest hears
Posted February 20, 2023 2:00 pm.
Last Updated February 20, 2023 2:02 pm.
The coroner’s inquest into the deaths of Norah and Romy Carpentier at the hands of their father in July 2020 heard from an officer Monday who was responsible for fulfilling the criteria needed to set off an Amber Alert.
The sisters went missing after they and their father were involved in an accident on the evening of July 8 in St-Apollinaire, Que., southwest of Quebec City.
It wasn’t until 3 p.m. the next day that the Amber Alert went out for the 11- and six-year-olds, and their father Martin Carpentier.
A corner’s report concluded in 2021 the girls were likely killed that same afternoon.
But a report into the investigation by Radio-Canada pushed the coroner’s office to open a public inquest into the handling of the events.
MORE FROM CORONER’S INQUEST:
- Police dog handler tells Quebec inquest he had trouble getting scent of girls, father
- Father seemed agitated ahead of girls’ murders, grandmother tells Quebec inquiry
- Inquest hears from mother of two Quebec sisters killed by their father in July 2020
- Inquest begins into 2020 kidnapping and killing of two Quebec sisters by their father
The officer who testified Monday became involved in the case the day after the trio disappeared.
One criterion to set off an Amber Alert, he said, is proof of a kidnapping. And until about midday July 9, investigators believed Carpentier would not hurt his children because he had made no clear verbal indication that he would do so.
But by 12:45 p.m., the officer said that in speaking to other investigators in the case, he learned more about Carpentier’s psychological state, physical weight loss, and his worries about losing custody of his children.
The officer decided to set off the Amber Alert from that moment – at 1:20 p.m. It took two hours until the general public received the notification.
The message itself might have been too long, the officer added, contributing to the delay in getting it disseminated widely.
Changes have since been made to the process since to reduce delays. The criteria to set off an Amber Alert has also changed.
