Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 15/99) - A Fort Smith man who was missing for two days died of exposure following a drinking binge.

The frozen body of 55-year-old Fred John Boucher was discovered by snowmobilers early Saturday, March 3, said Corporal Steve Burrell, of the Fort Smith RCMP.

"He was found in a wooded area, in what's called the landslide area, near the top of the hill," Burrell said.

He said the police believe Boucher had been in the secluded area drinking before his death.

"As far as we can determine, he went drinking on Wednesday afternoon or evening," Burrell said. "From the examination of the scene, he passed out and never woke up."

Boucher, originally from Lutsel K'e, was a resident of Northern Lights Special Care Home in Fort Smith.

Corp. Burrell said the home had advised RCMP of Boucher's habitual drinking.

"We were notified that he was out drinking and that we should keep an eye out for him," Burrell said.

Although Boucher had been missing for two days, no search was undertaken, because of the known habits of the deceased, Burrell said.

"It depends on the circumstances," he said. "If it's a person who has a habit of disappearing for periods of time, the concern isn't as great."

"You can't just have a blanket response to every case," he continued. "Every case has to be looked at individually, because everybody has their own habits."

Burrell said chronic drinkers will often choose isolated locations to drink, to avoid contact with police.

"Let's face it, they go to these secluded spots to drink and that's exactly what puts them in jeopardy," Burrell explained.

Head nurse and chief administrator of Northern Lights Special Care Home, Cheryl Comin, said the home takes every precaution to care for their guests, but the staff cannot enforce a curfew restricting movement without a court order.

"Residents can come and go as they please," she said. "We don't want to bolt the door."

"We're not a jail here. Even if he was in hospital, he could check himself out," she added.

Comin said Northern Lights had a recent psychological assessment done on Boucher.

"He was assessed by a mental health worker probably six months ago, to see if we could make him a ward, but they showed him competent to make his own decisions -- even if they are not decisions we agree with," Comin said.

When Boucher did not return to the home, Comin said all the proper steps were taken by staff.

"It's our policy that if a resident leaves, and if they're not back by such an hour, we notify police," she explained. Because of Boucher's history of drinking, staff assumed his disappearance was nothing unusual, Comin said.

"He would leave and go drinking and come back whenever," she said. "We have several residents who are old alcoholics and if they choose to leave to go drinking, they come back when they're sobered up or sometimes they come back drunk."