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April 1971—Keeseville, New York
Deputy Loring had gone to the hospital with Jacqui in the back of the ambulance to stand guard. Whoever assaulted her wouldn’t get to try again. Deputy LeBrun got his camera out of the cruiser and went to look for evidence. There wasn’t much to see, except for the circle of blood where Jacqui was found. He took a picture of it, along with the surrounding area.
In the house, he searched around near the telephone and found an address book, which he took. As he was leaving, he noticed baby toys and a crib, so he checked the bedrooms and the cellar. There was evidence of an older kid too. Nancy, the dispatcher, called him on his radio. “Husband’s name is Remi Foy. He’s driving a 1962 Rambler station wagon, beige. I put out an all-points bulletin.”
“Nancy, it looks like he’s got a baby and another kid with him.”
Nancy sighed. “Okay, I’ll update the APB.”
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When Deputy LeBrun got to the emergency room in Plattsburgh, his partner was talking to a couple of deputies from Clinton County. Loring said, “These guys are going to post a guard since we’re in their territory. They already have the APB for Remi Foy.”
Deputy Vance said, “Since this is domestic and the husband took off, I don’t think we’ll keep a guard for more than a day.”
“Yeah, whatever the brass decides,” said LeBrun. “What did the doctor say?”
“She’s still unconscious,” said Loring. “He’s waiting for an X-ray of her head.”
A nurse brought LeBrun a mug of coffee, as she had done for the others. He tipped his hat and thanked her. She beamed and wiggled her hips as she walked back to her station.
After a few minutes, Doctor Pelletier came out. “She’s got a fractured skull and some bleeding in her brain. I’ve seen much-worse people do okay after a while, but with the brain, you never know. I’ll let you know when she wakes up.”
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Back at their station, LeBrun and Loring filled in Detective Art Wisniewski on what they knew. Wisniewski said, “It’s a pretty straightforward domestic, but it gets tricky when kids are involved. I’ll take the address book and see if I can find out where Foy’s heading and see if we can get some of Jacqui Foy’s family members to come to the hospital. You guys should talk to the neighbors to see if they heard any fighting.”
Art started making calls. “Regina Foy? This is Detective Wisniewski with the Essex County Sheriff's Department. Are you related to a Remi Foy?”
“I’m his mother. What’s he done this time?”
“I’m afraid it’s pretty bad, ma’am. It looks like he got in a fight with his wife and put her in the hospital. She’s in tough shape.”
“What about the girls?”
“He took off with the girls, near as we can tell. We’re trying to track them down and make sure they’re okay. Have you seen them?”
“I haven’t seen ’em for a few years. Me and Remi don’t get along. He doesn’t really get along with nobody. Poor Jacqui!”
“Could you tell me the names and ages of the girls, ma’am?”
“Let me think. Marie would be about sixteen, and Angela would be, um, about twelve.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. The deputies said there was evidence of a baby.”
“Oh my, I don’t know about a baby. I don’t know what to think about that. Is Jacqui going to be okay?”
“The doctor doesn’t know yet. It’s touch and go. Does Remi have any family or friends that he would go to for help?”
“He has two older brothers and an older sister, but I’d be surprised if any of them would help him. Nobody gets along with Remi.”
“Ma’am, do you know Jacqui’s maiden name?”
“It’s Laurent. Jacqui Laurent.”
Art took down the siblings’ names and addresses and thanked Mrs. Foy, promising to let her know when they find the children. He found one address book entry for the Laurents—Albert and Danielle, who lived in Saint-Jerome, Canada. He called the operator to make an international call. The phone rang and a woman said, “Bonjour.”
“Um, do you speak English? Is this Danielle Laurent?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“This is Detective Wisniewski from the Essex County Sheriff's Department in New York. Do you know a Jacqui Foy, ma’am?”
“Ah, oui. Yes. She is my husband’s sister. What is the matter? Is Jacqui okay?”
“I’m afraid she’s been hurt. She’s in the hospital in Plattsburgh in serious condition.”
Art could hear Danielle talking to a man in the background, and he came on the phone, also speaking with a French accent. “This is Al Laurent, Jacqui’s brother. What happened to my sister?”
“We’re not entirely sure yet, but it looks like she was in a fight with her husband. She ended up in serious condition, and we’re searching for Mr. Foy.”
Although Art didn’t know French, he could tell that Al was swearing under his breath. “What about the girls?”
“It looks like he may have taken them with him. There’s a baby too.”
“A baby?” He was speaking in French to Danielle in the background.
“Sir, is there a family member who can come to the hospital to be with Jacqui?”
“Yes, yes. We will come today.”