On the night of September 23, 1984, seventeen-year-old Andre Ernest Gauthier disappeared from Saint John, New Brunswick.
More than forty years later, his case remains one of the province’s quietest mysteries – a disappearance with almost no public explanation, no confirmed sightings after that night, and only a handful of clues that have survived the decades.
Andre was just seventeen years old when he was last seen.
At approximately 10:15pm, he was seen near Simms Corner on the west side of Saint John. It was an ordinary Sunday evening, and there has never been any publicly released indication that he planned to disappear or that anything seemed unusual before he vanished.
Then he was simply gone.
One of the most striking aspects of Andre’s case is how little information has ever been released publicly. Unlike many missing-person investigations, there are no known witness accounts describing where he was heading, no confirmed timeline leading up to his disappearance, and no public explanation from investigators about what they believe may have happened after he was seen that night.
Instead, what remains are the small, personal details.
Andre was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 139 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a black-and-orange vest over a white-and-blue Alpine T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and an oversized brown leather jacket.
He also carried two items that made him instantly recognizable.
One was a silver-coloured lighter engraved with his name, “Andre.” On the back was another inscription: “July 10, 1984 – Irene + Paul.”
The other was an “I Love NY” keychain.
Those ordinary possessions – gifts or keepsakes from someone who cared about him—have become some of the most distinctive details still associated with his disappearance.
For years, Andre’s case received very little public attention.
Then, decades later, it briefly resurfaced in an unexpected way.
In 2015, officials handling the case of an unidentified man who died in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1993 reportedly contacted investigators about a possible comparison to Andre. The unidentified man, known as Fulton County John Doe, had died after jumping from a building, and someone believed there were enough similarities to warrant a closer look.
What happened after that comparison has never been publicly explained.
There has been no announcement confirming a match, no indication that Andre was identified, and no public record showing exactly how the comparison was resolved.
The possibility quietly faded away, leaving the mystery unchanged.
Today, Andre remains officially listed as missing through Canada’s Missing, the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains database. His Saint John Police Force investigation remains active under case number 84-08488, while the national reference for his disappearance is 2014001900.
More than four decades have passed since a teenager was last seen near Simms Corner carrying an engraved lighter and an “I Love NY” keychain.
Someone may still remember seeing him that night.
Someone may remember who he was supposed to meet.
Or someone may recognize one of those small personal items that have remained part of his story ever since.
Until those questions are answered, Andre Ernest Gauthier’s disappearance remains one of New Brunswick’s longest-running missing-person mysteries.
If you have information on Andre’s case, please contact any of the following:
Saint John Police Force: (506) 648-3333
Reference Case#: 84-08488
Canada’s Missing Case reference: 2014001900
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-TIPS(8477)
Online at: https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/submit-a-tip/submit-a-tip
Crime Stoppers provides anonymous tipping
Send email to the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains at: canadasmissing-disparuscanada@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Sources: Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Canada’s Missing (Case 2014001900); Saint John Police Force Missing Person information; Canada Unsolved; The Doe Network.
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