In the late afternoon of May 12, 1980, a 22-year-old man named Adjutor Lapointe prepared to leave his residence in Chicoutimi, Québec. He was seen getting into his vehicle, a burgundy Plymouth Valiant, accompanied by an acquaintance. This would be the last confirmed sighting of the young man. His family, left without word, officially reported him missing four days later on May 16, 1980.
From that spring day forward, the life of Adjutor Lapointe became a painful and enduring mystery for his loved ones and community, a story marked by a sudden departure and a silence that has stretched across decades.
The circumstances surrounding Adjutor Lapointe's disappearance quickly led investigators to suspect he had met with foul play. It is believed he may have been the victim of a homicide. A friend of his later recounted their final conversation, which took place around 6:10 p.m. on the evening he vanished. Adjutor allegedly told his friend he was going with a man named Vital to transport some armoires. When the friend offered to come along, Adjutor declined, stating that Vital did not want him to, as there would not be enough room in the car. He left alone with the acquaintance and was never seen again by his family or friends. His car, the Plymouth Valiant, did not disappear with him. It was found sometime later, but in the possession of the acquaintance, Vital Lemire, who had been driving it for nearly two weeks and had altered its appearance by removing the vinyl roof and fixing a dent.
Decades after he vanished, a significant development emerged in the case. In 2011, a convicted dangerous offender named Vital Lemire, while incarcerated, confessed to killing Adjutor Lapointe. Lemire claimed responsibility for another unsolved homicide from the 1970s as well. Based on this confession, the Sûreté du Québec conducted searches on at least three occasions, but their efforts were unsuccessful in locating Adjutor's remains. Authorities noted that the significant passage of time had drastically changed the landscape, complicating the search efforts. Despite the confession, the case remains officially unsolved. In recent years, volunteer groups like 'Exploring with a Mission' have taken a renewed interest, hoping to apply new technologies to search areas in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region for any sign of Adjutor or his vehicle. This has brought a sliver of hope to his remaining family, who have endured over four decades of uncertainty. The case of Adjutor Lapointe is a haunting narrative of a young man who drove away from his home one evening and never returned, leaving behind a family with unanswered questions and a police file that, despite a compelling confession, remains open and unresolved.Last Seen: May 12, 1980
