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KINGSTON, ONT
Almost two weeks after Ken Kilabuk, 22, of Pangnirtung was reported missing in Kingston, Ont., a passerby found the St. Lawrence College student's body in a river 10 minutes walking distance from his last known whereabouts.

Pangnirtung's Ken Kilabuk, 22, was found dead in a Kingston, Ont. River on Oct. 27, 12 days after going missing. - photo courtesy of Kingston Police

"I was broken into millions of pieces," Kilabuk's girlfriend Meghan Mike said Nov. 1 from Ottawa, where she is a student at Nunavut Sivuniksavut. "I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. I thought he was OK, I had a feeling he was OK, and I don't know. I guess he wasn't."

Kilabuk was last seen alive Oct. 15, and had gone out to a downtown bar that night. A resident walking along the river just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 27 found Kilabuk's body near Anglin Bay, an inlet in the city's Cataraqui River, Kingston Police Force media relations officer Const. Steve Koopman said.

"It's a slightly sheltered inlet there," Koopman said. "They thought they noticed what appeared to be a human body, and contacted police. In short order, we were able to make, unfortunately, a positive identification."

An Oct. 29 autopsy showed Kilabuk drowned.

Police are still investigating the death, and have not ruled it suspicious or non-suspicious, he said, noting the death may have been homicide, suicide or an accident.

"We want to make sure we're not leaving anything uncovered," Koopman said, noting two detectives continue to work on the case full time. "We feel there still may be investigative avenues that we can pursue and we are hopeful for even the smallest bit of information. We feel there are pieces of the puzzle that may still need to be put together over the two-week period from when he went missing to when his body was found."

Finding Kilabuk was a top priority for the force, which assigned a team of detectives and officers, engaged the community through social media, and had volunteers canvassing the neighbourhood.

Koopman said there was no activity on Kilabuk's cellphone, banking or online accounts after his disappearance. Until the discovery of his body, police thought they might find Kilabuk alive.

"We still held out hope it was a missing persons' case, but on Oct. 27, it changed to a sudden death investigation," Koopman said.

With the amount of public engagement and local media attention, Kilabuk's death affected many in Kingston and at St. Lawrence College.

"I think it had a toll on everybody," Koopman said. "We've seen that both through standard media and social media as well, from those saying they're devastated because they were hoping for the best."

The school, where Kilabuk was studying carpentry, held a memorial Oct. 30.

"It was nice to know the St. Lawrence College showed appreciation of their students," Mike said, expressing her gratitude for those who worked to find her boyfriend. "I'm really thankful for them. I don't know how I can thank them for their hard work in finding Ken, and the people of Kingston and Nunavut for all their support. "

Kilabuk's funeral was held Sunday (Nov. 4) in Pangnirtung.

"I want (people) to remember that he was a really happy and funny guy, jolly, and he was a sweetheart, a gentleman," Mike said. She's hopeful she can preserve his memory by caring for his dog, Bella, whose presence alone at the apartment the day after he went missing raised Mike's concerns that something bad had happened to Kilabuk.

"I want to keep Bella, but I'm leaving her with Ken's mom. She wants to keep her, too, so maybe we'll take turns."

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