FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2004

Psst! It's Julie Bureau!

The girl, who can't be named by order of the Youth Protection Service in Quebec...

Oh please! As if we don't know who you're talking about.

Found Quebec girl reunites with family

MONTREAL - A teenage girl who had been missing until last weekend reunited with her parents and younger brother for the first time in three years on Thursday. 

The 17-year-old girl who was found on Sunday, spent six hours with her family in the presence of her lawyer. 

The girl, who can't be named by order of the Youth Protection Service in Quebec, will remain in the service's care until a hearing is held to appoint a legal guardian. 

The girl's father said the reunion was emotional. 

She was spotted Sunday at a flea market in a town about an hour's drive from her home. She had been living with a 38-year-old man since shortly after running away in September 2001. 

The man said he thought the girl was older than 14 when he met her, and said they had not been romantically involved. 

The girl didn't resist police when they approached her, but waited for four days before initiating the family reunion. 

Most missing children are runaways, but few go so long without contacting friends or family.

Ya' know, I'm gonna' engage in a little idle gossip here. It just so happens that the Surete du Quebec investigator in charge of the Bureau investigation is also the lead investigator in my sister's case. So, just last month we were talking about the Bureau case. Said Investigator told me that the Bureau family was holding out hope that after Julie's 18th birthday she would reveal herself and return to the community. Sounds like the family had an inkling all along that her disappearance had less to do with an abduction, and was more in line with a family conflict.

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