On February 17, 2008, Marilyn Bergeron disappeared without a trace in Quebec. Fifteen years later, his parents try to live in the present moment to “get over it” but without giving up.
• Also read: Marilyn Bergeron case: A witness claims to have welcomed her into his home 13 years ago
“We’re rooting for it, it’s always a difficult time. We don’t even count the years, it’s like it was yesterday,” sighs Andrée Béchard, the mother of the young woman, who would be 38 today.
Photo archive of Enfant-Retour
Marilyn Bergeron was 23 when she disappeared on February 17, 2008.
The young woman, who was 23 at the time, left Montreal in a hurry after telling her mother she was afraid to stay in her apartment for a reason we don’t yet know.
She moved to Quebec five days later, leaving “a stroll” the day after she arrived in the old capital. It was the last time her relatives saw her.
“We never got an answer”
“We have to live with this drama every day because we never got an answer. But we are trying to look ahead,” says Ms. Béchard, who will share this sad anniversary with her family.
Last October, Marilyn Bergeron’s parents met with the press in Hawkesbury, Ontario to restart the trail in the region that received the most reports in 2008 and 2009.
In particular, we heard unpublished testimony from a man who believed he had taken the young woman into his home moments, a year after her disappearance.
New clues?
Following this media release, a dozen new reports were sent to the Quebec family and police.
If any of this information turns out to be unfounded, some of it is still under review.
“We’re waiting for certain conclusions, but it’s made it possible to rearrange things a bit. Some things had to be checked again after several years,” explains Marilyn Bergeron’s mother, who still maintains the theory of human trafficking.
move things forward
Although they still don’t have the answers they expected after all these years, Michel Bergeron and Andrée Béchard are proud to have been able to advance the cause of the missing people in Quebec.
In particular, they contributed to the preparation of the Green Paper on Police Practices, which started in 2019. The establishment of a special unit for missing persons, announced last May, is also the result of the recommendations of this document.
“Over the last 15 years we have worked hard to improve the way these types of cases are handled. Seeing the results is a bit of a balm for us,” says Ms. Béchard.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
February 10, 2008
Marilyn Bergeron leaves Montreal in a hurry after confiding in her mother that she is afraid to stay in her apartment. Arriving in Quebec, she cries in her mother’s arms when she asks her if she was assaulted.
15-16 February 2008
Marilyn relocated from Montreal to return to her parents in Quebec.
February 17, 2008
Marilyn decides to “go for a walk” alone. She has her credit card.
February 18, 2008
Marilyn’s parents reported her disappearance to the Service de Police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ).
February 19, 2008
File photo provided by the Quebec Police Department
That day she made a withdrawal at a credit union in Loretteville.
We discover that on February 17, Marilyn attempted to complete a $60 transaction at the Loretteville credit union. Another transaction is carried out on the same day at the Café Dépôt in Lévis.
December 2009
Guy Salicco claims to have harbored Marilyn at his Hawkesbury, Ontario home for about fifteen minutes, unaware that she was wanted. It describes a young blond woman in distress, crying and cold. She’s trying to reach someone on Chamberlain Street.
March 2010
Guy Salicco contacted the SPVQ after realizing that the woman he was welcoming into his home was most likely Marilyn Bergeron when he saw her photos online.
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