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
BREAKING Baby and grandparents killed in wrong-way crash involving police on Ontario's Highway 401
An infant and the child's grandparents – aged 55 and 60 – were all killed when a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont. caused a crash involving at least six vehicles, the Special Investigations Unit says. The driver of the suspect vehicle also died.
Judge holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000 and raises threat of jail in hush money trial
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
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.
This is how many dentists have actually signed up for Canada's new free dental program
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a east London suburb early Tuesday, killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring four others, authorities said.
Police searching for 'armed man' in Dartmouth, N.S., residents asked to shelter in place
Residents in the area of Gaston Road in Dartmouth, N.S., are being asked to shelter in place as police search for an armed suspect.