Romy & Norah Carpentier's Mom Opened Up About The Disappearance Of Her Daughters
"I'm left with these traumas."
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Over a year after the disappearance and death of her two daughters, Romy and Norah Carpentier, Amélie Lemieux spoke out about the tragedy in a touching interview with La semaine des 4 Julie.
In July 2020, all eyes were on one of Quebec's longest-running Amber Alerts, which ended when police found the bodies of the two young girls, aged 6 and 11. Police said the girls had been murdered by their father, Martin Carpentier, who they concluded died by suicide.
Ce soir d\u00e8s 21h sur @noovo_ca, on re\u00e7oit la m\u00e8re de Norah et Romy Carpentier, Am\u00e9lie Lemieux, @melaniejoly nous parle de son projet le plus important, qui est d'\u00eatre maman, et @snyderjulie nous offre son tour guid\u00e9 personnalis\u00e9 des \u00celes-de-la-Madeleine. #4Juliepic.twitter.com/AMjQwKCNjG— La semaine des 4 Julie (@La semaine des 4 Julie) 1632410694
"I was told on July 11 that Norah had been found, but that they were trying to resuscitate her. It takes a doctor to declare [death]. They found Norah first and then about 20 or 30 minutes later they told me about Romy," Lemieux recounted.
"The time it took them to get the children out of the woods was very, very long because the place was not very accessible by four wheels. [...] The time it took them to transfer them to the hospital, it was almost three hours. They didn't tell me about the state of my children, all they said was, 'We're trying to resuscitate them,' so you're in anguish."
Lemieux explained how it took nearly 18 hours for the Amber Alert to be triggered after authorities discovered the children were missing.
According to her, this delay could have cost her daughters their lives.
"For 18 hours, what happened? I'm left with these traumas," she said.
While she doesn't hold the authorities directly responsible, Lemieux did admit to feeling a sense of "injustice" about how everything was handled.
Lemieux described her ex-spouse as an "introverted man" who never showed any signs of violence toward the family. She said she is still at a loss for what caused her ex-spouse to murder the two girls.
"There was a psychological state that we didn't see," she said.
"I was there that day, I spoke with him, I was in the house [...]. He had dinner with my parents and then he just said, 'Well, I'll go and have an ice cream with the girls.' After that, it's a black hole that we don't understand."
Lemieux revealed that despite the tragedy, she is currently in the process of doing fertility treatments and is planning to have another child through a surrogate.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of harming themselves, please reach out to a trusted peer, parent or health care professional. You can also contact a helpline which is available 24 hours a day to talk. Or click here, for additional support resources. If you need immediate assistance please call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.
