Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-15 · by Charlotte Glorieux The Canadian Press
Quebec coroner Luc Malouin released a report on September 14 criticizing the handling of the search for 13-year-old Maëlyne Lugez, who was found dead in a creek near her school in November 2024. The coroner highlighted that police suspended ground searches overnight despite indications that she might still be alive, focusing too narrowly on the fact that she was considered suicidal and not enough on the aspect of her being a missing child. Malouin emphasized that search protocols for children between 13 and 15 years old recommend more extensive coverage of isolated areas, which were not adequately covered in this case.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
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Story summary
In a report published on Sept. 14, Quebec coroner Luc Malouin criticized the Lévis police for their handling of the search for Maëlyne Lugez, a 13-year-old girl who was found dead in a creek near her school in Lévis, south of Quebec City, on Nov. 6, 2024. Malouin questioned why police suspended ground searches overnight when the girl could still have been alive. He noted that while police focused on Lugez's suicidal tendencies, they failed to adequately consider her as a missing child who required more intensive searching of isolated areas. Initially, Lévis police searched only a 300-metre perimeter around the school and tried unsuccessfully to locate Lugez through her turned-off cellphone. Malouin suggested that this limited approach may have led to "tunnel vision," hindering a more thorough search.
Written for “Quebec Police Criticized” on 2026-09-17,
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Leaning score -0.45 for article 12046 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-16
A Quebec coroner said police in Lévis did not take appropriate steps in their search for 13-year-old Maëlyne Lugez, who was found dead in a creek near her school in November 2024.
asserted
who → say → November
In a report published Sept. 14, coroner Luc Malouin questioned why officers suspended ground searches overnight, during a period when Lugez may still have been alive.
uncertain
Lugez → publish → period
Malouin found police focused too heavily on the fact that Lugez was considered suicidal and failed to adequately account for another part of her profile: she was a missing 13-year-old child.
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she → find → profile
Search guidance for children her age called for a more intensive search of isolated areas, he said.
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he → call → areas
Lugez disappeared on Nov. 6 after leaving school during her lunch break and failing to return for her afternoon classes.
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Lugez → disappear → classes
The school contacted her father before calling police.
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school → contact → police
Police in Lévis, south of Quebec City, initially searched a 300-metre perimeter around the school and unsuccessfully tried to locate Lugez through her cellphone, which had been turned off.
asserted
which → search → cellphone
Malouin questioned whether police developed “tunnel vision” after those efforts failed.
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efforts → question → vision
Lévis police testified that 95 per cent of missing youths are quickly found through searches within 300 metres and cellphone geolocation.
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cent → testify → metres
Police suspended the ground search at about 9:15 p.m. because of darkness and fatigue, though investigators continued working on the case overnight.
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investigators → suspend → case
The search resumed the following morning.
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search → resume → ?
Lugez was found at about 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 7 in a creek about 700 metres from her school, with her face submerged in the water.
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face → find → water
She was later declared dead at the hospital.
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She → declare → hospital
One investigator testified that reducing the police presence can sometimes allow a suicidal person to return on their own.
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person → testify → own
“That is true for a suicidal person, but here, in addition to being suicidal, she was a 13-year-old child,” Malouin wrote.
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Malouin → write → addition
Search guidance for missing children between 13 and 15 called for isolated areas to be “flooded with mobile resources,” Malouin said.
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Malouin → miss → resources
He found officers should have considered both profiles when deciding how to conduct the search.
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officers → find → search
Lugez’s family and school staff believed she was in the woods and repeatedly called for a police dog to be used, according to the report.
“At 9 p.m., with the ground search at an impasse, why wasn’t that possibility considered?” Malouin wrote.
uncertain
Malouin → believe → impasse
The report stated that a police dog handler testified that the quiet evening would have been an excellent time to search the wooded area.
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evening → state → area
Quebec provincial police offered the services of a police dog handler and its emergency measures division, but the Lévis police official in charge declined the offer, preferring to wait until morning.
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official → offer → morning
Malouin concluded that Lugez drowned accidentally and did not intend to take her own life.
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Lugez → conclude → life
He wrote that the young girl’s death ’‘likely occurred late in the evening of November 6 or early in the following night.’’
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death → write → night
Malouin recommended that Lévis police update officers’ knowledge of ground-search practices and that provincial police better inform other forces about the specialized services they offer.
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they → recommend → services
In a statement, Lévis police said they are reviewing the report.
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they → say → report
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
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