A residence burned after the disappearance of a couple

Relatives of a couple, who have been wanted by the Sûreté du Québec for a week, are expecting the worst since the man’s house was set on fire a few days ago.

Malcolm Bennett, aged 38, and his 27-year-old girlfriend Arielle Fortin have not been found since last Sunday. On Tuesday around 5 a.m., a fire was started at Mr. Bennett’s residence.

“He came to his shift on Sunday, but Monday and Tuesday he did not show up to work,” worries his colleague Karen Desrosiers.

The 30-year-old was last seen at a municipal gas station while he was filling up his car. This is written in the name of the convenience store for which he works as a deliveryman, Dépanneur Académie.

Worried neighbors

Several neighbors say that in recent months, “there was a lot of coming and going” in Malcolm Bennett’s apartment, where Arielle Fortin appeared to be residing for a short time.

“There was a lot of noise, it started brewing since last summer,” said a neighbor who did not wish to be identified, fearing for his safety.

The fire occurred at the rear of the triplex, from where the other occupants had to be evacuated in the early morning of October 8.

Relatives of the two missing, who did not respond to our interview requests, told the SQ that they had reason to fear for the safety of Malcolm Bennett and Arielle Fortin.

The death of Mr. Bennett’s mother last year in November would have greatly upset him, again according to the information collected.

For the moment, the Sûreté du Québec has no reason to believe that Tuesday’s fire at Malcolm Bennett’s home and his disappearance are linked, insists SQ spokesperson Élizabeth Marquis.

During this long holiday weekend, the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Fire Safety Department was unable to answer our questions.