Richard And Marie Christine Salem

My name is Richard. In 1985, I was 22 years old and was working in the family business after graduating in architecture; my sister Marie-Christine was 19 years old and was getting ready to start her first year at university. We were two young adults, raised in a loving home, surfing between our studies, work, sports and friends. After my father died from sickness in 1982, my mother Odette was determined to maintain the same positive and loving spirit at home. She started sewing again; she was a very talented seamstress and often, she would wear very elegant dresses that she would make. She made sure she filled the void that my father’s absence created.

On September 17th 1985, at 3pm her life and mission changed forever; from providing for us to searching for us. That day she got extremely worried that we were late. We were returning from Hamra with our uncle Georges, while our mother was expecting us for lunch. Unfortunately, we never made it.

Our mother waited, struggled, and hoped for 24 years until 2009 when she was killed by a speeding car on her way to the sit-in tent of the disappeared.

My name is Richard Salem. My sister’s name is Marie-Christine. Do not let the story of our family end here.