FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — It’s been nearly 35 years since a Fall River mother vanished without a trace.
The last time Clotilde Arruda Tremblay was seen alive was in August 1988, according to a relative.
That relative, who did not want to be identified, said Tremblay immigrated to the United States from Portugal and was a loving, family-oriented person.
“We didn’t hear from her and we hadn’t seen her,” she explained. “We knew right from the beginning that something wasn’t right.”
The 33-year-old worked at F & F Braid Company a block from her home on Pearce Street that she shared with her husband and 8-year-old daughter. Her relative said it was unlike Tremblay to leave her loved ones behind.
Tremblay’s disappearance is one of dozens of missing persons cases that Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III said his office is revisiting.
“This is clearly a suspicious disappearance,” he said.
Quinn said his office is investigating alongside the Fall River Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.
Tremblay’s husband at the time told investigators he believed his wife ran off with another man, according to Quinn.
“We don’t find that to be credible,” Quinn said, adding that her husband is “a person of interest.”
Det. Lt. Ann Marie Robertson, who’s in charge of the Massachusetts State Police’s Unresolved Cases Unit, said investigators are looking into whether any unidentified remains found in New England belong to Tremblay.
“We believe she’s no longer living and we’re looking into this case,” Robertson said. “We want to give the family some closure … Every daughter deserves to know where her mother is.”
12 News made several attempts to contact Tremblay’s husband but were unsuccessful.
Investigators are asking anyone with any information regarding Tremblay’s disappearance to contact the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Cases Unit at 1-855-MA-SOLVE or mspunresolved@pol.state.ma.us. People can also call Lt. John MacDonald of the Fall River Police Department at (508) 324-2796 ext. 253. For Portuguese speaking callers, please call Detective Luis Vertentes of the Fall River Police Department at (508) 324-2796, ext. 260.
