Cynthia Firth and Richard Binder Jr. had only been together for three-and-a-half months, but they were practically engaged and planned to get married.
"We did everything as a couple and we loved each other a lot," she said, holding back tears. "We were trying to call him, looking around the river...
"It's like a nightmare. He shouldn't be gone."
Firth was the third of seven witnesses called to testify on the first day of a coroner's inquest into the death of Richard Binder Jr., held March 3 at the Mackenzie Hotel in Inuvik.
Binder's body was found approximately one kilometre west of the community near Big Lake Nov. 3, 2018. He died of hypothermia at age 35. On Oct. 25, 2018, Binder had escaped police when they attempted to put him under arrest.
Firth told the inquest she accompanied Binder to the hospital a day before he disappeared to help him get medication for anxiety attacks. He was feeling anxious because he was facing a charge before the court.
Then, on Oct. 25 they had an argument and she went to visit her sister, while Binder stayed at home.
Olive Binder testified that neither she nor his father (Richard Binder Sr.) knew what time their son went out that night, but it was well before his 9 p.m. curfew. She said Richard Jr. lived with them in their home on the ground floor and while he had struggled with alcohol, he was working hard to get his life together.
Firth said she had several beers with her sister and then visited another friend to drink vodka before going to the liquor store, where she ran into Binder. The two took a cab to her mother's home where her brother would not let them in. She testified she did not remember what happened next or why the police were called.
Const. Brennan Woodcock said he got a call to go to a house on Navy Road at 8:20 p.m. that night. When he arrived, he saw Binder and Firth in the driveway. Firth's face was covered in blood. His partner, Cpl. Todd Glenser, testified he saw Binder take a swig of vodka. Woodcock added he noticed the tops of vodka bottles in a liquor store bag he was holding.
The two officers stepped out of their truck and separated the couple. Woodcock informed Binder he was under arrest for a breach of a recognizance, but Binder took off down the road. Woodcock said he chased Binder for a moment, but broke off the chase to attend to Firth's injuries.
Binder was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
Police took Firth to the hospital where she received stitches for her lip and chin. Woodcock then returned to the residence and took a statement from the homeowner that Binder had put Firth in a headlock during the incident. Police took Firth to her sister's to rest and ran a patrol for Binder.
Olive Binder noted her son had eluded arrest from police before, but he would always call home to check in with his family and they would usually convince him to either come home or turn himself in.
But this time he didn't call.
Tips from public suggested Binder was in Inuvik
It didn't take long for his parents to realize something was very wrong.
"I knew the second day, when he didn't call, that he wasn't going to be alive," said his mother Olive Binder.
All seven witnesses testified that Binder had a history of escaping police and eventually resurfacing. Regardless, Inspector Kent Pike, then Staff Sgt. for the region, said he made sure his officers prioritized finding him on each shift.
Once news that police were looking for Binder began to spread, another problem emerged. Police received at least 10 tips placing him at numerous locations and places around town, which police were required to investigate.
"We don't know if tips are true or false," said Pike. "But we still have to follow up on them."
Pike added if he had reason to suspect Binder had left Inuvik town limits, he could have called in air searches. But because of the volume of tips putting him somewhere in town, police kept their focus in Inuvik. He did note he had officers check with the airlines to see if Binder had gotten on a plane.
Meanwhile, Binder's family conducted their own search. Admitting she was getting frustrated with the lack of progress from police, Olive Binder filed a missing persons report on Binder Oct. 28.
"I finally did my own search, the whole family searched," she said. "Every day, at least twice we searched, calling out his name ... even though I kind of felt stupid calling out his name.
"He would always call if he needed help. I thought maybe he was suicidal. I was afraid he would take ... pills and fall asleep and freeze to death."
On Nov. 3, police received a report from two men who had been snowmobiling near Big Lake and had seen a body. Police crossed the just-frozen river and discovered Binder's remains.