A youth centre in the Laurentians turned into a place to gather and grieve Thursday as local teens struggled to cope with the “senseless killing” of one of their own.
With schools closed because of a snowstorm, the centre in Lachute, northwest of Montreal, opened earlier than usual and stayed open later to give the town’s youth a place to come together. Additional outreach workers were on hand to listen and try to answer any questions they had.
“We’re like a family here, so we wanted to be there to support them and to support us, too,” said director Julie Desrosiers. “No one understands what happened.”
Océane Boyer, 13, was found dead by the side of an isolated road in neighbouring Brownsburg-Chatham Wednesday morning. She was reportedly shot in the head and found partly unclothed, but police would not confirm the details.
Police arrested a 51-year-old man in Montreal on Thursday in connection with the killing. The man, who knew the victim, is expected to be arraigned in court on Friday. Police said it was too early to confirm what charges he could face.
The arrest came after a frantic 24 hours or so in the small town northwest of Montreal.
A passerby had discovered the teen’s body by the road around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday. Her parents last saw her around 8 a.m. that morning when she left for school. The school being just across the street from the family’s home, they reported her missing when she hadn’t returned by afternoon.
“When a police officer went to see the family, we were able to rapidly link the two events,” explained Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Marc Tessier.
Before Thursday’s arrest, police had canvassed any routes between Lachute and Brownsburg-Chatham with canine units, searching for any clues between Océane’s home and where her body was found. The two locations are about 22 kilometres apart.
A man standing outside the family’s home on Thursday asked for privacy as they grieved. The parents spoke to the TVA television network earlier in the morning.
Océane’s mother, Caroline Sarrasin, said her daughter left for school as usual on Wednesday morning. She described her as a good kid who didn’t have any issues with anyone.
“Our kids were always with us. We never let them walk alone,” added the teen’s father, Francis Boyer. “This was a senseless killing.”
Océane was known to often spend time at the youth centre. She had participated in a grocery bagging fundraiser only days earlier.
READ FULL STORY: Laurentians community grieves ‘senseless killing’ of teen | National Post
