UNSOLVED COLD CASE: The Murder of Claire Gagnon (1970) - Dieppe, NB
By S.M. Published July 18, 2020 Claire GagnonThe Unsolved Murder of Claire Gagnon
It wasn’t like 16-year-old Claire Gagnon to be late for Sunday dinner.
On May 24, 1970, Claire’s parents waited at their house on Gould Street in Dieppe, New Brunswick, for their daughter to come home. As 5 p.m. came and went, they quickly realized something was wrong.
It would take 24 hours to find Claire. Her body was discovered in a field 300 yards from her home on the evening of May 25. She had an electrical wire or rope around her neck and a towel in her mouth.
Investigators were able to determine Claire had last been seen alive sometime between 2 and 3 p.m. on May 24. The exact time and location where she disappeared from is unknown.
Investigators have pursued several leads in the murder of Claire Gagnon over the years. In 1993, charges were filed against a man who confessed to killing Claire. It was later confirmed that he had been in a psychiatric hospital during the time of her murder, and the charges were dropped. In 1970, Dieppe had just over 4,100 residents. It is now the fourth-largest city in the province.
In the 50 years since Claire Gagnon’s horrific murder, her case has generated virtually no major media coverage, and her killer has never been brought to justice.
For her family, friends, and the community of Dieppe, her murder is a painful memory that will never be forgotten.