Quebec’s police watchdog says it has opened an investigation after the bodies of a mother and her son, both of whom went missing earlier this week, were discovered in a vehicle in Montreal.
Montreal police confirmed Thursday that the bodies of Lucia Giovanna Arcuri, 76, and Giuseppe Arcuri, 59, were found earlier in the day in an Infiniti SUV belonging to the man. They had been reported missing on Tuesday.
Since Montreal police were looking into their disappearance, the province’s police watchdog — Office of Independent Investigations — has opened a file into how police conducted their investigation. The watchdog is mandated to investigate cases in which people die or are injured during interventions by Quebec police.
Montreal Const. Véronique Dubuc says the watchdog will investigate the work of city police, and provincial police will investigate the two deaths.
First responders were called at around 12:30 am on Thursday to the vehicle in a parking lot. Despite attempts to revive the two people inside, both were pronounced dead at the scene, and Montreal police have described the deaths as suspicious.
Arcuri and his mother lived together in the city’s St-Leonard borough.
Giuseppe Arcuri was last seen Tuesday at around 9:30 am in a restaurant in eastern Montreal. “Mr. Arcuri made disturbing comments before his disappearance,” police said in a bulletin announcing their disappearance.
The last contact with Lucia Giovanna Arcuri was also Tuesday morning. She was suffering from memory loss and rarely left her home. She disappeared without her medication or the cane she needs to walk.
Later, police put out a description of Giuseppe Arcuri’s SUV, which matched the vehicle in which the two bodies were found on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
ORIGINAL:
Montreal police are trying to locate a mother and her son who live together in the Saint-Léonard borough.
Lucia Giovanna Arcuri, who is 76 years old, was last heard from Tuesday morning during a telephone call.
Her son, 59-year-old Giuseppe Arcuri, was last spotted on Tuesday at around 9:30 a.m. in a restaurant near the corner of Perras and Rodolphe-Forget boulevards in the city’s Rivière-des-Prairies neighbourhood.
Investigators and their loved ones are worried about their safety.
Police say Lucia Giovanna, who suffers from memory loss, rarely leaves her home. In this case, she left without her medication and her cane. Police also say her son Giuseppe made worrisome comments prior to going missing.
Lucia Giovanna is described as being slim with fair skin and standing at about five feet and five inches. She has red hair down to her chin, blue eyes and wears glasses. It’s not clear what she was wearing at the time she went missing.
As for Giuseppe, he’s described as having fair skin, standing at about five feet and nine inches, weighing about 265 pounds. He has short grey hair and blue eyes. He wears a black coat that does not have a hood, a black shirt and black pants.
Both of them speak French, English and Italian.
Investigators have reason to believe they are together in the same location.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts should call 911 or communicate with their local police station.
https://x.com/SPVM/status/1846480699705950322
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/missing-people-saint-leonard-1.7353336
