MISSING: The Disappearance of Diane Bélanger (1982) - Montréal, QC
By: S.M. Published: 07/10/20
Diane Bélanger
Missing since August 8, 1982 from Montréal, QuébecAge at Disappearance: 19Hair colour: Auburn Eye colour: Blue Case number: 33-820808-005 Diane Bélanger was not supposed to disappear.
The bright red brick townhouse at 2269 rue Dorion in Montréal, where she had been staying, belonged to her boyfriend’s cousin, her partner and their child. It’s unclear why Diane decided to stay there, but it was temporary.
Described as shy and withdrawn, 19-year-old Diane had kept in close contact with her parents and four siblings over the few days she’d been at rue Dorion. The arrangement also gave Diane the chance to help out with babysitting the couple’s child. On the evening of August 7, 1982, that’s what she was doing.
In the early hours of August 8, at around 3 a.m., the couple returned home. They shared a pizza with Diane, who was still in the brown dress she’d been wearing when they left. Nobody was thinking of the comment Diane had made earlier that day, about the man who had followed her along rue Dorion and to the front door on her way home.
Soon, everyone went to bed.
August 8, 1982 - Morning
A few hours later, the couple awoke to a horrifying scene.
Diane’s purse was on the floor in the living room. The contents were strewn about the room. The screen on the main door of the home was torn apart. A bread knife was missing. The most puzzling and alarming discovery was in the bathroom, where Diane’s nightgown was found in the bathtub. There were reportedly no traces of violence or blood found inside the house.
As the chaos unfolded that morning at 2269 rue Dorion, another woman named Diane Bélanger, who lived close by, was quietly fearing for her life.
Several days after Diane’s disappearance, Jean-Claude Rochon, chief investigator of the Montréal Police, met with the other Diane Bélanger in the hospital, where she was recovering from a severe beating.
The Other Diane
The Diane Bélanger who spoke to Rochon in the hospital offered a disturbing revelation. She said she was a sex worker who lived nearby and shared the same name and date of birth as the missing Diane Bélanger. She explained that someone “in her network” was trying to kill her. The reason she was targeted was never revealed. The only other information she offered was her belief that Diane’s body might be buried in Chertsey, in Lanaudières, Québec. Whatever had happened to the missing Diane, she said, was likely a case of mistaken identity.
The facts of Diane Bélanger’s disappearance still raised questions: according to one source, the tear on the screen door had been made from the inside. Neither Diane’s hosts nor any of the neighbours heard or saw anything unusual overnight. There was no cry for help, and no sound of a struggle. While there were several reported sightings of Diane around Montréal, they were later proven to be false or unfounded.
Diane’s mother, Claudette Bélanger, is adamant that her daughter would not have left on her own; she had recently enrolled in the Katimavik charity program and was about to begin a new internship. Diane was motivated.
The Investigation
Detective Jean-Claude Rochon interviewed 70 people about Diane’s disappearance. He sent news releases across the country. The densely wooded area around Chertsey was searched, but no sign of Diane was ever found.
When the townhouse next door underwent construction, Rochon conducted a dig beneath its floors. A truck campaign featuring Diane’s poster was launched in hopes of gaining any information. Despite ongoing appeals to the public, the person(s) responsible for Diane Bélanger’s disappearance have remained silent for 38 years. What happened to her that night at 2269 rue Dorion – and why – remains unknown.
Diane’s family still hopes for answers, and to one day find her body so she can be properly put to rest.
Contact Information:
Diane Bélanger is 5’2” and has brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance, she weighed 130 pounds, wore glasses and had long curly brown hair.
If you have any information that could help – however insignificant it might seem – please contact the SPVM.
Unresolved missing person:
Click here to contact the investigators at the SPVM
To transmit information using a confidential and anonymous method, please contact:
INFO-CRIME MONTRÉAL
514 393-1133
