At around 8:40pm on July 2, 1975, Michelle Wedge's older brother heard his seven-year-old sister leave the family home on Dominion Street in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada to ride her bicycle. Their parents were out for the evening. At 9pm, their older sister arrived home and noticed that Michelle was no longer playing near the home where her brother had last seen her. The two searched the neighbourhood and found her bicycle, propped on its kickstand, at the southwest corner of the intersection of Dominion and John Street, but no Michelle.
According to the hosts of True Crime All the Time Unsolved podcast, The Leader-Post reported that police initially believed Michelle had simply wandered away from her home and therefore disregarded her disappearance as an abduction. It is unclear from the reporting when the official search for Michelle got underway but a large search, covering 600 square miles was called off, as per the Spectator, on Friday night, July 4, 1975. The Toronto Star quotes Inspector Doug Turner of the Moncton Police as saying, "Searchers have covered 600 square miles already. We're not going again unless there's additional info."
During the search, two young girls came forward to say that they saw Michelle riding her bike near the southwest corner of Dominion and John streets around 9:10pm.
They also witnessed a man trying to lure Michelle into his car. They said that the same man had tried to coax them into his car earlier that evening so they got a really good look at him and would recognize him if they saw him again. From this description police were able to release a composite sketch of the man and obtained a Canada-wide arrest warrant. The man was described as being in his mid to late 20s with a dark complexion, thick black hair and eyebrows, a thin mustache and a full beard. He had a 2 inch scar on his right cheek and was wearing dark, thick-rimmed glasses. The girls also said he spoke in a "strange voice". The car was described as a dark green Datsun or Cortina with a black interior and New Brunswick license plates (The Spectator 4 July 1975 and The Toronto Star 4 July 1975).
Another witness reported seeing Michelle around 9:30pm near her home talking to a strange man and then stepping into a dark green Datsun with a man they described as being in his late to md-30s (True Crime All the Time Unsolved Podcast quoting the Red Deer Advocate). Other witnesses have corroborated the statements of a small, dark green car being in the area the night Michelle Wedge went missing.
As per The Daily Herald Tribune (22 July 1975), Moncton mayor Gary Wheeler announced on 21 July 1975 that he was ordering police to enforce a curfew bylaw forbidding children under the age of 14 from being on the streets after 10pm unless accompanied by an adult. He confirmed that the curfew was a direct result of Michelle's disappearance.
Michelle Wedge's case remains open. RCMP Investigators reported that they located a man matching the description, questioned him and released him. According to a reddit user, there were some newspaper reports indicating Moncton police began to doubt the eyewitness report of the two young girls but it was never revealed why. This user continued to report that the man the police questioned did not drive a green car and the girls were shown a picture of the man and they said that it was not the man that had tried to coax them into his car and not the man they saw Michelle leave with. According to RCMP Constable Isabella Beaulieu who was interviewed on Canada's Information Morning Show in 2018, the disappearance of Michelle Wedge is being treated as a criminal investigation as they believe another person or persons were involved in her disappearance. They need tips and information from the public as they believe someone knows something that could help bring Michelle home. On the New Brunswick Major Unsolved Crime website, Michelle Wedge's case is listed as a suspicious disappearance.
At the time of her disappearance Michelle Wedge was wearing a red and white checked t-shirt, blue shorts, blue socks and size 3 navy blue sandals. She was 4 feet tall with a fair complexion, brown eyes and shoulder length light brown or dark blonde hair.
If you have any information about Michelle Wedge's disappearance, any information at all, please contact:
Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: Codiac Regional RCMP
Agency Contact Person: Mark Gallagher, Cst - -- - NB Crimestoppers
Agency Phone Number: 506-857-2494; 800-222-8477
NCIC Case Number: M-872670194
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