Widow of man found dead near U.S. border recounts husband's last moments in woods

The widow of the man who likely froze to death trying to cross into the United States is speaking out.

She spoke to him as he was lost in the woods and now has to figure out how to tell their son, who is still in Haiti, that his father is dead.

Speaking in Creole to the CPAM 1410 radio station, Guenda Filius described the last moments of her husband's life.

Fritznel Richard was trying to cross into the U.S. without being seen. His wife told radio host Jean Ernest Pierre they were on the phone together. When he was lost in the woods the line cut off.

"He told her he couldn't find his way in the forest and didn't know where to go, but was worried about calling 911 because he didn't want to get arrested and deported to Haiti," Ernest Pierre told CTV News.

In another interview with the Journal de Montréal, she said there was an argument between Richard and the person who drove him to the border, and that her husband was kicked out of the vehicle on Dec. 23 in the middle of a snowstorm.

His body was found on Jan. 4 after police believe he froze to death.

Filius says they fled from Haiti. She is currently in Florida with their toddler, but their 11-year-old son is still in Haiti and doesn't know yet that his father is dead.

"In the days leading up to his father's death, he had an operation, so the family decided not to tell him," Ernest Pierre explained.

Filius is worried about her status in the U.S. and if she and her 19-month-old will be deported.

"The goal was to have the family together either in Canada or in the United States," Ernest Pierre said.

Instead, she's left to mourn while trying to figure out her own future without her husband.