William Dale
Published online June 17, 2026, at www.pontiacjournal.com
MANSFIELD — Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officials have confirmed that the individual recovered from the Coulonge River on June 6 was a local resident who had been missing for more than a week. The deceased has been identified as 24-year-old Keith Laroche of Fort-Coulonge.
Laroche had been the subject of an active missing person investigation since he was last seen on the evening of Friday, May 29, in the area of rue Principale in Fort-Coulonge. Following his disappearance, provincial police launched an extensive search operation, searching a 300-metre radius from his last known location. SQ underwater recovery divers also conducted targeted searches of the Coulonge River on June 1, but ground and water search efforts were suspended on June 3 pending new information. At the time, authorities urged shoreline property owners to remain vigilant, operating under the hypothesis that Laroche may have entered the water.
The search came to an end on the morning of June 6 when two local fishermen discovered a body in the river near the Davidson area, close to rue Thomas-Lefebvre and Keesler Road in Mansfield-et-Pontefract.
Following the discovery, local emergency services responded to the scene. The Mansfield Fire Department received the dispatch call at 10:43 am and deployed a specialized boat crew trained in water recovery operations to secure the area and retrieve the body.
On June 10, the SQ confirmed the individual’s identity in a press release, stating that no further information would be released at this time out of respect for the deceased and his loved ones.
While the search has concluded, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Laroche’s disappearance remains ongoing. The file has been transferred to investigators at the SQ’s Campbell’s Bay station.
Photo – Keith Laroche of Fort-Coulonge was identified by the SQ following the recovery of a body from the Coulonge River on June 6. (SQ)
