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Body of missing Ottawa cyclist discovered: police

Mathieu Trudel was reported missing on March 2, 2016

Mathieu Trudel

Mathieu Trudel

On March 2, 2016, a 37-year-old Ottawa man went missing, his last known whereabouts being Vaudreuil Street in Gatineau, Que., earlier that evening. To those who knew Mathieu Trudel best, the disappearance of the avid cyclist and professional illustrator, described as a “regular fixture on local walking and cycling trails,” was strange. Friends and colleagues described it as “uncharacteristic.”

Tragically, an apparent, if partial, explanation for Trudel’s disappearance was confirmed by police on May 9, after his body was found on Petrie Island, near the Quebec/Ontario border along the Ottawa River.

As the CBC reported, friends and family long held out hope that Trudel would be found alive, despite mounting evidence of “an intention to end his life,” sources said. And although it’s unclear if his death is related, Trudel received a severe concussion on Oct. 30, 2014, when he was involved in a rush-hour collision on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa as he biked to work.

A fractured cheekbone and head trauma were among the injuries he sustained during that accident, before he was found unconscious next to his bike on Montreal Road, not far from Cummings Bridge.

In a press release issued by Ottawa police on Monday, it was indicated that no foul play is suspected in his death.