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Missing for 10 years: mother keeps hope of seeing her again
June 17, 2008 - 08:37
Ten years after the disappearance of her daughter Stéphanie, Lorraine Cyr still retains the hope of hugging her again one day.
Stéphanie Cyr has been missing since June 5, 1988. She was 18 years old. One evening, she did not return to the family home, then located in the Saint-Basile district, in Edmundston. Her relatives have not heard from her since.
"I have a feeling that she is still alive. Whenever someone raises the possibility that she may have died and suggests that I grieve to turn the page, a little inner voice cries out to me that it's impossible. I believe in the maternal instinct, it's very strong, ”says Lorraine Cyr.
The mother describes her daughter as a child with a heart of gold, very generous, a little cheerful. She is aware that Stéphanie experienced many problems in her childhood and adolescence. Very tall and sturdier than her classmates, she was the victim of mockery in the schoolyard. Besides, with the consent of her parents and the doctor who followed her, she was removed from school before entering high school. Later, she also experienced drinking problems.
“Despite everything, Stéphanie had a great relationship with her father, her brother and me. There was a lot of love between us. That's what makes it even more difficult, ”says Lorraine Cyr.
In the past, the family has participated in Homecoming shows, by Claire Lamarche, to no avail. Hope reached its peak when in 2001, when Mrs. Cyr thought she saw her daughter in a television report on prostitution in Montreal. But the investigation and all the steps that followed did nothing.
In the first years after the disappearance, Lorraine Cyr also claims to have received several phones, where nobody spoke on the phone. She is sure it was her daughter.
“I have long thought that she was in someone's grip and that she could not communicate with us. Maybe today she is free, but she no longer knows how to return, ”she says. "One thing is certain, I am still waiting with open arms. I won't ask her a question, I won't judge her. All I want is to be able to look her in the eye and tell her in person how much I love her, ”she added.
The latter adds that the rest of the family is eager to see Stéphanie again. Her uncles, aunts, cousins, and little brother Tommy in particular. His father is unfortunately no longer of this world.
“My husband died suddenly in 2003. He had a cardiac arrest after watching another program by Claire Lamarche. He had cried so much that night. He told me that he would give his life so that Stéphanie would come back and I could be happy again, ”she says.
The voice filled with emotions, she confides that life has not spared her during the last decade. She notably fought cancer, lost her husband. "But there is no worse ordeal than the disappearance of Stéphanie," she says. The lady now lives in Grand Falls.
The Edmundston Police Force contacted her very recently to tell him that they had not closed Stéphanie's file. Moreover, since the sad anniversary, the police have started to circulate photos of the missing young person and a robot portrait to show what she might look like today. “After all these years, there are people who think that we found him, others who do not remember this story. It's good, I think, to talk about it again and refresh memories, especially when the holidays are approaching. People travel. Maybe they can meet her somewhere, you never know, ”concluded Lorraine Cyr.