A Quebec family struggling with grief is still searching desperately for their mother, who has been missing in Ontario since 1996. And Mother’s Day always brings back painful memories.
According to Ontario Provincial Police, Carole Roy was last seen on October 11, 1996, living with her boyfriend near Carleton Place, a town of 12,000 near Ottawa.
At the time of her disappearance, the mother was 43 years old, and although 27 years have passed, her children dream that one day she will give a sign of life. They voluntarily reject the assassination.
“I never gave up. I dreamed so much that she would come back. I know it’s weird, but I still hope the phone rings and she says, “Hello!” “It’s mom,” said her son Jimmy Roy, teary-eyed.
“I can tell you it’s tough on Mother’s Day. From April 15, I’ll start thinking about it,” adds the man, who is speaking on behalf of all members of his family.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY JIMMY ROY
A vulnerable woman
Carole Roy lived in Quebec for several years. She had three children from two unions.
According to her son, her life was not easy and she was in danger at the time of her disappearance as her left eye and arm were disabled from a serious accident.
“It hurts me so much to think that someone could attack her and she wouldn’t be able to fight back,” admits her soon-to-be 52-year-old son.
He says that when he moved to Ontario, his mother Carole regularly shared news with family members, including his sister Claudette, to whom she sent correspondence.
“When my aunt couldn’t get any more letters, we panicked. My half brother, half sister and almost everyone started looking for her. Some went to Ottawa, but nothing,” recalls Jimmy Roy.
The first official steps with the Sûreté du Québec are taken in 2002. Mr. Roy works in Beauce and decides to report his mother’s disappearance.
Other family members had already raised Carole Roy’s case with police but were told the disappearance of an adult was “complicated”.
“An adult has the right to disappear whenever he wants. It was the SQ’s reaction,” he reports.
The investigation opened in 2012
It will be another 10 years before his then-wife manages to convince Jimmy Roy to return to the police station near his home in Candiac. Still according to the son’s version, the Sûreté du Québec finally launched an investigation in 2012, 16 years after Carole Roy’s disappearance.
The Ontario Provincial Police will take over the case and will offer a $50,000 reward to anyone who has information and helps further the investigation.
The wife of the 1996 Quebecer was also a suspect in this story. He eventually died before authorities could trace him to his new home in Alberta.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY JIMMY ROY
Jimmy Roy, the son of Carole Roy, who has been missing since 1996, still dreams of hearing the phone ring and saying it’s his mother.
Today Jimmy Roy is a social worker. He helps young adults who are going through all sorts of difficulties. He is aware that doing this job may be because he has experienced suffering and is therefore better able to understand the suffering of others.
“I hope the discussion of this in 2023 will shake things up. You know, a mother is always a mother,” the son remarks. Carole Roy would have turned 70 this year.