Body of missing Quebec woman found, police say
The body of a Quebec woman missing for nearly a week was discovered in Saint-Jérôme on Tuesday afternoon, according to provincial police.
A citizen alerted authorities after spotting a vehicle that matched a description police had shared with the public.
Linda Vinette, 61, was found inside the car, stationed near a local park. Her death was confirmed at a nearby hospital.
No traces of violence were immediately apparent, according to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), and her death is not considered suspicious.
A coroner will aid in the investigation.
Vinette, who is from Sainte-Sophie, was last seen alive in Terrebonne last Wednesday, where she had a dentist appointment.
After days of searching, the SQ set up two command posts on Tuesday -- one in Terrebonne and the other in Sainte-Sophie -- in search of answers.
The body of Linda Vinette, 61, was discovered inside a parked car in Saint-Jerome on Feb. 27, 2024. (Cosmo Santamaria / CTV News)
CTV News spoke to Vinette's goddaughter a few hours before she was found. Isabelle Theoret described Vinette as a woman who was in excellent health.
"She has no health issues, physical or psychological," she said.
Calling her disappearance "incomprehensible," Theoret added that search teams had swept all the routes running from the dentist's office to Vinette's home, to no avail.
Later on Tuesday, after Vinette's body was discovered, an SQ spokesperson confirmed police are investigating how she ended up where she did.
"We're going to try to find the reason why she went to Saint-Jérôme, where has she been, so we have a lot of work still to do," said Sgt. Éloïse Cossette in an interview. "[We'll] also look at cameras in that specific area to just confirm that she was alone in the car."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
3 law officers serving warrant are killed, 5 wounded in shootout at North Carolina home, police say
Three officers on a U.S. Marshals Task Force serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and five other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said.
'Shocked and concerned': Calgary principal charged with possession of child pornography
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
Health authority confirms cockroaches at B.C. hospital, insists they 'do not bite'
The Vancouver Island Health Authority is downplaying what staff describe as a cockroach infestation in a medical unit of Saanich Peninsula Hospital.
Toronto police arrest 12 people, lay 102 charges in major credit card fraud scheme
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Britney and Jamie Spears settlement avoids long, potentially ugly and revealing trial
Britney Spears and her father Jamie Spears will avoid what could have been a long, ugly and revealing trial with a settlement of the lingering issues in the court conservatorship that controlled her life and financial decisions for nearly 14 years.
WATCH 'Double whammy': What happens if you don't file your taxes by the deadline
The clock is ticking ahead of the deadline to file a 2023 income tax return. A personal finance expert explains why you should get them done -- even if you owe more than you can pay.