Philippe GUERIN Missing Person Case

Philippe

GUERIN

87

27

67 inches

67 inches

White / Caucasian

Male

In the summer of 1966, a family was forever altered by the disappearance of 27-year-old Philippe Guerin. On June 12th of that year, Philippe, a patient at the Ontario Hospital, a psychiatric facility in North Bay, Ontario, vanished. He was described as a Caucasian male, standing five feet seven inches tall with a medium build, brown eyes, and short brown hair. Distinctive features included having no upper teeth and walking with a limp, a result of contracting polio at the age of ten. His family had sought help for him at the hospital due to aggressive behavior and other mental health challenges, believing he would receive the care he needed. However, their concerns grew after a visit where they discovered his healthy teeth had been removed, leading to suspicions of mistreatment. The family's distress was compounded when one of Philippe's brothers went to the hospital to share news of his engagement, only to be told that Philippe was missing. It was later revealed that the hospital had not immediately reported his absence to the police, instead choosing to send a letter to the Widdifield Police Department. The investigation into Philippe's disappearance, now handled by the North Bay Police Service, is the city's oldest unsolved missing person case. Shortly after he was reported missing, a potential lead emerged when a clergyman from North Bay reported picking up a hitchhiker who matched Philippe's description in the Sudbury area, near Falconbridge. The man, who said he was heading to Sacré-Coeur, Québec, was dropped off at the junction of Highways 17 and 11, south of North Bay. Despite this lead, police were unable to locate him. The years stretched into decades, leaving his family with unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss. His parents passed away without ever knowing what became of their son. In an effort to generate new leads, the North Bay Police Service has continued to investigate, and in July 2024, they released an age-progressed image of what Philippe might look like in his 80s. The disappearance of Philippe Guerin remains a sorrowful mystery. For over half a century, his loved ones have been left to wonder about his fate. The initial handling of his disappearance by the hospital, with the delay in reporting him missing, created early challenges for the investigation. The single promising lead of a hitchhiker faded without providing any concrete answers. The case stands as a testament to the enduring pain of ambiguous loss, a story of a young man who seemingly vanished without a trace, leaving a void in the lives of his family that has never been filled. Despite the passage of time, the hope for answers persists, kept alive by the ongoing efforts of law enforcement and the enduring memory of a brother and son who has never been forgotten.

Jun 12, 1966

the North Bay Psychiatric Hospital on June 12, 1966. He is paralyzed on the left side as a result of

Ontario

North Bay Police Service

North Bay

Ontario

1-705-497-5555

1-705-497-5555

Law Enforcement

NB10013474

North Bay Police Service

Brown

Brown

Brown

No