On February 10th, 2008, Marilyn Bergeron called her mother, telling her she was extremely frightened, though she did not elaborate on what was causing her fear. She began packing up her Montreal apartment and headed back home to her family in Quebec City. She left without saying goodbye to any of her friends or co-workers, possibly to avoid explaining her sudden departure or to keep her distress private.
During the first week that Marilyn was home, she spoke with her sister Nathalie on the phone and asked, “Is there light at the end of this tunnel?” She told Nathalie that she never wanted to return to Montreal. When Nathalie asked her why, Marilyn wouldn’t say and started crying. Nathalie said Marilyn seemed depressed and she was very worried about her.
There was one instance where Marilyn’s mother asked if she had been assaulted. Marilyn tightened her lips, looked down, and started crying uncontrollably, revealing a depth of anguish that hinted at the gravity of her unspoken experiences. Her mother immediately suspected that Marilyn had been deeply hurt by someone. She suggested Marilyn see a psychologist, and Marilyn agreed.
On February 17th, 2008, 24-year-old Marilyn woke up, ate breakfast, and told her parents she was going for a walk around the neighborhood. She said she’d be back in a couple of hours.
Shortly after leaving, Marilyn was seen at an ATM at the Caisse Populaire bank on Boulevard de l’Ormière in Loretteville. Surveillance footage showed her appearing nervous and looking around frequently, as though she was worried about being followed or recognized. The footage revealed she was there for a brief moment, long enough to complete a transaction before quickly leaving. Surveillance footage showed her appearing nervous and looking around while making a transaction.
In the video, Marilyn was seen holding a small black backpack, but her parents don’t recall her carrying it when she left home.
Marilyn wasn’t seen again for another five hours until 4:30 PM, when she was spotted at a café 12 miles south of her parents’ house. She paid for her coffee with a credit card. According to the barista, she looked anxious and depressed and seemed to be in a hurry to leave.
After this sighting, there were no more confirmed reports of Marilyn. To this day, her family has no idea what happened to her.
When Marilyn didn’t return home that evening, her parents immediately knew something was wrong and reported her missing to the Quebec City Police that same day.
The police, aware of Marilyn’s recent behavior, began an investigation immediately. Using her credit card information, they tracked her last known location and began searching for her. Flyers with Marilyn’s photo and information were distributed throughout the city.
A $10,000 reward was offered for any information leading to her safe return.
While the police searched for Marilyn, her parents contacted her friends and acquaintances, but no one had seen her.
For two years, the case stagnated. Police and family continued searching, but the investigation largely operated on the theory that Marilyn had died by suicide.
Then, a man from Hawkesbury, Ontario, contacted investigator Claude Poirier, claiming to have seen Marilyn several times over the past year. He described her as frequently being in the company of a much younger man, raising questions about her circumstances. He claimed to have seen Marilyn several times over the past year. According to him, Marilyn was frequently seen with a much younger man. The man believed she had been living in Hawkesbury and moving to different locations within the city but was always with the same young man. He couldn’t pinpoint her exact residence but noted that Hawkesbury’s small-town atmosphere made newcomers noticeable. He reported seeing them at local shops and restaurants regularly.
One cold, rainy night in December 2009, a Hawkesbury resident and his wife were woken at 2 AM by a woman knocking on their door. She was wearing a light jacket, a white T-shirt, jeans, and high heels—unsuitable attire for the weather. The woman didn’t appear drunk or high but looked frail. Crying, she asked to use their phone. She made a call but didn’t seem to get an answer. She then asked for directions to a nearby street. The man offered to drive her, but she declined, saying it was close enough to walk. After apologizing for disturbing them, she left.
Three months later, the couple saw a news report about Marilyn and recognized her as the woman who had come to their house. They noted that her hair had been blonde, not brunette. Marilyn’s family confirmed that she sometimes dyed her hair, showing pictures of her as a blonde during a press conference in October 2022. The witness said he was 99.9% sure the woman was Marilyn. The Bergeron family’s lawyer stated that 20 credible tips placed Marilyn in Hawkesbury in 2009. Other unspecified information led the family to believe she might still be alive and living in Ontario. “If she has a new life and wants to be left alone, we will respect that,” said her mother.
Marilyn’s parents visited Hawkesbury to investigate further. By the time they left, over 30 people had confirmed seeing Marilyn, giving them hope. However, they couldn’t understand why she would be there. Police had no new leads and were left with no answers again.
After more than a decade, Marilyn’s parents grew frustrated with the Quebec police, believing the investigation lacked thoroughness and dismissed alternative possibilities beyond suicide or running away. They believed the investigation had been mishandled, focusing solely on theories of suicide or runaway without seriously considering foul play.
The Bergeron family believes Marilyn may have set up a new life in Ontario. However, if this is true, many questions remain unanswered: What really happened in Montreal? Why would she abandon her family? And why doesn’t she want to be found?
If Marilyn has started a new life, her mother has said she would accept it: “If she has a new life and wants to be left alone, we will respect that.”
However, there is no clear proof of this, and multiple possibilities remain as to what truly happened to Marilyn Bergeron.
