Why the Quebec coroner is making some of its oldest, coldest cases public

The Quebec coroner’s office is now making some of its oldest, coldest cases public — in the hopes that someone, somewhere, might recognize something.

In February, the office launched an online public database of unidentified bodies, containing photos and descriptions of personal items found with them: sweaters, jewelry, tattoos, scars, shoes, wallets — even fragments of tattoos or dental work.

So far, more than 120 cases have been posted, which officials say is only a fraction of what’s to come.

“There are a lot of unidentified deceased persons,” said Karine Spénard, who is leading the work on the cases. “In the last 40 years, we have about 500 to 600 people we still haven’t identified.”

The database is part of a modernization effort launched under Quebec’s current chief coroner two years ago.

Along with a multi-agency working group that revisits unsolved files, the new tool is meant to directly involve the public — something officials say is critical to solving cases that might otherwise remain buried.

Spénard said that even after decades, the right clue — a jacket, a scar, a pair of boots — can spark a lead.

“We’ve had people say, ‘I think this could be my brother,’ just by seeing photos,” she said. “We’re now able to go back and match bodies with medical records or DNA — but we need that first spark. The public gives us that.”

One of the people watching the database closely is Suzanne Lejeune, whose sister, Louise, disappeared from LaSalle in 1990.

Louise had moved from Ontario to Quebec to be near her son, who was being taken care of by her mother in Châteauguay on Montreal’s South Shore.

Diagnosed with schizophrenia while pregnant, she was receiving disability support and living on limited means.

“She really hoped that she would get better and eventually regain custody,” said Lejeune. “She only cared about her son.”

Louise took the bus every week to visit him — until one day, she stopped.

“She missed her December visitation and then Christmas,” she said, adding she and other family members didn’t realize she was missing for years.

At the time, she said she and her sisters were no longer speaking to their mother.

It wasn’t until 1995 that she was told Louise had been gone since 1990.

Even more troubling, Lejeune later found out that her sister’s disappearance hadn’t been reported right away.

She said it wasn’t until Louise’s boyfriend called police in February 1991 that a missing persons file was opened.

Today, Lejeune said there are still no suspects, no evidence, and no leads.

“No body, no crime, no justice,” she said. “I can’t do anything to find out what happened to her without a body.”

She described her sister as kind, shy, and vulnerable — someone who likely could have trusted the wrong person.

Louise also didn’t speak French.

“She was the smartest out of all of us — the sweetest and she didn’t deserve whatever happened to her,” said Lejeune.

If Louise’s case were added to the coroner’s new site, Lejeune believes she might recognize something, like the sweater she always wore.

“It was a thick, grey wool sweater with a purple collar. I would always tease her about it being ugly, but she loved it,” she said. “It was the last thing she was seen wearing.”

The database, she said, could be especially helpful for families like hers — those who missed the chance to raise the alarm early on, and are still holding out hope decades later.

“Sometimes, a visual is what clicks. Someone sees a piece of clothing and remembers,” she said.

The site also includes a tip line for anyone who thinks they recognize something.

Spénard said they’re gradually uploading more cases, which could include files that date back as far as 1953.

Since forming the cold case working group, Spénard said the coroner’s office has confirmed 22 identities.

Private investigator Stéphane Luce, founder of Unresolved murders and disappearances in Quebec (MDIQ), a citizen-led investigative group, called the database a “great surprise,” and something he believes could be a game-changer if used properly.

“In the past, we would hear about a murder or a missing person, but with almost no details,” Luce said. “Now, with those kinds of tools, we can get lots of information, especially with photos.”

He added that public access is critical to progress.

“They need information from the public to be able to solve these cases,” he said. “They need to work more closely with the public and with private investigators like us. We’re all part of the same puzzle.”

For Lejeune, it all comes down to one thing.

“Hope,” she said. “A piece of clothing, a fragment of something — that’s all I’m looking for.”