The coroner’s public inquiry into the 2020 murders of Romy and Norah Carpentier began this week, and revelations of a lack of coordination and management between teams at the scene have drawn attention.
• Also read: The SQ recognizes gaps in communication in the first hours of the Carpentier file
• Also read: Death of the Carpentier Girls: Two and a half years later, an investigator learns of the existence of two key statements
• Also read: Heartbreaking testimony from the Carpentier girls’ mother at the public inquest
Remember that the search for the girls began the day after the traffic accident on highway 20 in Saint-Appolinaire.
Former organized crime investigator Roger Ferland returned to this emotional week for those affected by the tragedy from near and far.
CURRENT CASES
During the hearings, many complained about the lack of communication between actors on the ground (municipal fire brigade and police).
Among other things, Mr. Ferland wonders about the functioning of operations in Sûreté du Québec (SQ) at this particular time period in July 2020.
“It looks like nothing has been orchestrated [de la bonne façon] at the beginning of this investigation. We went in a vision, we stayed in it, and the information wasn’t conveyed,” he says.
CURRENT CASES
The day after the crash, details about the girls’ disappearance began to emerge, but some investigators and the police were still unaware of this information.
“It seemed to work in silos. Maybe the people had the general information, but the investigators certainly didn’t. I’m a little surprised, not to say disappointed, with this approach. Time is of the essence when it comes to disappearances,” stresses Mr. Ferland.
On-site resources were numerous: dog handlers, helicopters, mountain bikes. The ex-investigator believes that the problem would have been at the level of the investigators.
“We have turned down important offers and opportunities […] We use GPS, there are a number of forest research techniques that we know […] what i see her [patrouilleurs et premiers intervenants] The tasks were correct but poorly nested in one way or another,” he said.
*See Roger Ferland’s analysis in the video above*