No fingerprints, plus a criminal with the same name: N.B. woman can't pass a police check

Andrée Leger-Cormier feels like a criminal, though she's committed no crime.

The 68-year-old has lived in Moncton for 50 years, in the same house for 48 years. She has five children and six grandkids, all boys. She's spent her life working with children through various roles, including as a social worker and supply teacher.

The retiree was hoping to do some volunteer work at her grandchildren's school this year. As she's done many times in her life working in this field, she headed to the police station for a background check.

That was in April. Four months later, she still doesn't have a clean background check, and has no idea when, or if, she will.

Leger-Cormier tried five times to get her fingerprints scanned. The first three times were at the Codiac RCMP station, the last two times at a forensic laboratory in Moncton. She's tried creams, alcohols, even the product used to lift fingerprints from the skin of dead people.

"They even tried to hold my hands and do it for me, but nothing came out. They couldn't see fingerprints on my fingers."

Why does Leger-Cormier really need to have her fingerprints scanned? 

Someone with her name and date of birth has a criminal record, and without her fingerprints, it can't be proven Leger-Cormier isn't the same person.

The RCMP, who weren't available for an interview before publication, haven't told Leger-Cormier much about this mystery criminal, including what crime she committed. 

This spring wasn't her first time hearing about this. Leger-Cormier also needed to get a police check in 2021, but since her fingerprints were fine then, she could prove she wasn't the same Andrée Leger-Cormier who had committed a crime. 

That's not the case now. She can't use her fingerprint evidence from 2021, since it's destroyed after three months.

The emergence of a second, less law-abiding Andrée has left Leger-Cormier feeling even more puzzled. If it's a case of stolen identity, then there should be a clue in her finances. But Leger-Cormier doesn't do online banking, and her bank hasn't alerted her to any suspicious purchases or withdrawals. 

Plus, since Leger-Cormier's line of work has frequently required her to obtain police checks, she knows the other Andrée Leger-Cormier has only showed up in the past few years. 

"I've lived in the same place," Leger-Cormier said. "I've had the same phone number for the time I've been living here. So it's kind of weird."