Student raped in Sainte-Foy / July 3, 2000

20 years ago today a Laval college student was sexually assaulted and left for dead in her apartment in Sainte-Foy, Quebec.

The student – today anonymously identified as Isabeau – gave DNA samples to authorities which established an evidence link to the April 2000 murder of another CÉGEP student living 200 kilometers away in the Saguenay region of the province. On the morning of April 28, 2000, Guylaine Potvin, a student at the CÉGEP de Jonquière, was found dead in her apartment on rue Panet in Jonquière. She shared the apartment with two girlfriends, students who were absent on the night of the events.

Isabeau has been campaigning anonymously for 20 years, hoping to have the man who left for dead will be brought to justice. To date, the DNA evidence has not matched any individual in the DNA data banks available to the authorities. Some have speculated that the attacker may have left Canada, or may be deceased. However Isabeau insists that, “This individual is still in circulation. How many victims has he had? Think of the women around you, your loved ones, your daughters … This individual is dangerous. Any information, you have to give it. ”

Some speculate that the cases may be linked to the murders of other CÉGEP students such as the 2011 Gatineau murder of Valérie Leblanc, though there have never been any evidentiary links to support these claims.

The podcast focusing on the Potvin and Isabeau cases can be found here: