Quebec provincial police believe they have found Martin Carpentier's body

Quebec provincial police say they believe they have located the body of Martin Carpentier, who was wanted in connection with the deaths of his two young daughters, about30 kilometressouthof Quebec City.

Carpentier, 44, went missing with his daughters on July 8, triggering an Amber Alert.

The girls' bodies were discovered three days later in a wooded area near Saint-Apollinaire, a rural community surrounded by forest and farmland not far from the St. Lawrence River.

Police said on Twitter that they located a bodyin the Saint-Apollinaire area at7 p.m. ET after police received a tip from a citizen.

"Everything suggests that it is Martin Carpentier," the Sret du Qubec (SQ) said Monday evening. "According to initial findings, he took his own life."

The SQ says it will not comment further for now.

This news comes on the sameday that a funeral was held for the two girls,six-year-oldRomy Carpentier and her 11-year-old sister, Norah.

The funeral was heldin Lvis, Que., just south of Quebec City. Friends and family gathered to remember the brief lives of Romy and Norah.

Neighbours relieved

Several neighbours gathered near where the body was found on Monday evening to discuss the situation and take solace in the fact that the search was over after the full-scalemanhunt gripped the community for nearly two weeks.

One neighbour, Nadia Chabot, said she'd hoped police would find Carpentier alive, but is relieved regardless.

Now, she said, the community, especially the kids, can finally relax.

"We can finally sleep in our own rooms tonight," said Chabot, whois sure she spotted Carpentierrecently.

"I am 95 per cent sure it was him who I saw," she said. "That confirmed what we have heard over the last three nights."

Bernard Ouellet, the mayor of Saint-Apollinaire, said nobody wanted the 12-day search to end with a body, but they were all eager for it to conclude.

"Unfortunately he was found dead and that's difficult for people who wanted to know what happened," said Ouellete. "However, for those who were scared, it may be funny or strangeto say, but this is good news."

Now, he said, people can get back to the life they had before the manhunt began.

"We will stop thinking about it," Ouellet said. "We will stop living in fear. We can finally go out on our land in peace."

Lengthy search

Over the weekend, after days of searching the dense forest, provincial police said they were suspending the search forCarpentier in the woods aroundSaint-Apollinaire in order to pursue other leads.

Area residents had reportedly become frustrated with the lengthy, fruitless search, according to local media.

WATCH | Mourners honour Quebec sisters found dead in forest:

Mourners honour Quebec sisters found dead in forest

4 years ago

Duration 1:22

Mourners gathered in Levis, Que., to honour Norah and Romy Carpentier, 11 and 6, a week after they were found dead in a forest.

Public Security MinisterGenevive Guilbaultdefended the SQ's handling of the investigation on Monday.

"Everything was done in order to reach the objective," Guilbault said at a news conference.

"We were in contact throughout the process to make sure that everything went according to the rules, that things were going well and that they had the resources they needed."