Family of Moncton, N.B. homicide victim struggle to comprehend his death

The family of Max Boudreau is still trying to cope with his death and is dealing with the grief as best they can.

His cousin, who is speaking on behalf of the family, said it's been particularly hard on Boudreau's mother.

"Every day brings new challenges for her at the moment. So we're just taking it one step at a time," said Louise Vautour-Goguen. "Her family is all around her to support her. She's receiving a lot of love and support at the moment."

The body of the 24-year-old Moncton, N.B., man was discovered last Tuesday in a wooded area in Irishtown.

Last Wednesday, police said they were treating his death as a homicide.

An autopsy was preformed on Friday and confirmed Boudreau's death was a homicide. 

Forty-two-year-old Justin Barrow of Moncton has been charged with first-degree murder and made a brief court appearance last Wednesday.

Barrow's next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12.

Boudreau was last seen leaving a Dieppe bar in a taxi at 3 a.m. on Nov. 15. He was reported missing to police on Nov. 17.

The family doesn't know much about what happened the night of his disappearance and that makes the grieving process even more difficult.

"The circumstances are hard to deal with. There's still a lot of questions, still a lot of incomprehension around everything, but we're actually just trying to focus on Max, on the beautiful person he was. And we want to do everything we can to honour his beautiful life," she said.

Vautour-Goguen said she had known Boudreau since he was a baby and was always amazed by his sense of humour and positive nature.

"He had such a bubbly personality," she said. "He had such a great sense of humour. His laugh was absolutely contagious. He has such a good sense of fashion too.”

“He comes into a room and you notice his presence right away. He's so endearing, funny, fun-loving. He loves to laugh, just have a good time, an all-around great guy. Yeah, we're just devastated."

CTV News spoke with Olivia Bulmer, one of Boudreau's closest friends, last week about the shock of hearing about his murder.

"I couldn't believe it. I had to hear it from the family because I just couldn't believe it," said Bulmer on Thursday. "It still doesn't feel real, but with time it will get better. I hope we can get through this together and never forget him."

Vautour-Goguen said preparations are underway for her cousin's funeral and plans for a celebration of life for Boudreau are in the works.