On Saturday May 2, 2020 in the evening, Alexandre* decided to go camping on a beach on the Berges course Alexis Le Trotteur, a park located in Clermont, near the Malbaie river.
At the time of his disappearance, Vincent Turcotte was 21 years old, measured 1.85 meters and weighed 160 pounds. He had brown hair and blue eyes. (Sûreté du Québec)
“At the start, there were just two of us, but five other friends joined us during the evening, including Vincent Turcotte,” says Alexandre.
Friends have fun all evening a campfire. Alcohol and drugs are consumed during the rally. According to Alexandre, everyone has a good time, including Vincent.
He argues that Vincent has not shown no signs of distress during the vigil.
“I remember it as if it was yesterday, during the evening, he said he was disgusted with his lifestyle here, that he wanted to go to work in Australia,” said Alexandre. However, the latter believes that this kind of speech is “normal” for a 21 -year -old.
Vincent had gone to the evening by bike, and he had not brought a tent for the campsite, says Alexandre. So he had to go back to sleep with his parents at La Malbaie, which asked him to travel around nine kilometers by bike.
“During the evening, he also said that he wanted to try to take a news trail To return home, ”notes Alexandre. Around midnight, Vincent therefore left the group to return to his parents.
A bike, no Vincent
Shortly after Vincent’s departure, Alexandre went to bed. However, he woke up a few hours later by two friends still standing announcing that they found Vincent’s bike near the river.
On the evening of May 2, 2020, the group of friends camped and lit a fire on this beach in the Berges course. (Félix Lajoie/Le Soleil)
“The next day, Vincent did not answer our calls. When we contacted his parents, and that they told us that he had not returned, this is where we understood that it was not normal and that we had to contact the police, “he says.
During the hours that follow, Alexandre and his friends will travel the banks of the river in search of traces of Vincent, in vain.
“The police came, they beat up. The divers were there too, but they found nothing, apart from his Orange tuque not far from the campsite by the river. Afterwards, his disappearance fell into oblivion, ”says Alexander. The campsite by the river is located about five kilometers downstream from the banks.
For Alexandre, the most plausible hypothesis is that Vincent fell into the river when he was near the banks to urinate. In May, the level of the Malbaie river, like the other rivers in Quebec, was particularly high.
According to him, it is very unlikely that Vincent wanted to take away life, or that he was the victim of a criminal act.
“Vincent was a rescuer. A rescuer does not throw himself into the river to kill himself, ”believes Alexandre.
No hypothesis is dismissed
The SQ spokesperson, Béatrice d’Orsainville, confirms that the police had several hours of patrol by the river, on foot and in all terrain vehicles.
SQ divers also searched the Malbaie river in several places.
“No hypothesis is dismissed. It is difficult to make conclusions since we have not found a body, ”says Ms. d’Orsainville.
According to the SQ, the thesis of a fall in the river is no more or less plausible than those of the criminal act, suicide or fugue.
The spokesperson mentions that the file is in the hands of the division of unresolved surveys of the SQ.
“There is no new one in this file. No research is planned soon, ”concludes Ms. d’Orsainville.
The last time Vincent was seen, he wore adidas brand jogging pants, a black cotton sweater with long sleeves with the inscription in green “beautiful projects”.
He also wore Nike Air Jordan Brand Jordan sneakers in gray color and a dark blue jans sport backpack.
Any information that can allow Vincent Turcotte to be found can be transmitted confidentially to the Calé-Sûreté du Québec Criminal Information Center at 1 800 659-4264.
