Phoenix Taypayosatum had fought with his family — but he was on his way home to make amends.
In the hours before he died while hitchhiking from Edmonton to Camrose on Dec. 27, he called his sister, Autumn Taypayosatum, to check up on his girlfriend and daughter.
"He's like: 'What am I doing out here in Edmonton?'" Autumn said.
"He wanted to fix everything."
Phoenix never made it back to Camrose, where he and his girlfriend and their 11-month-old daughter had been living with Autumn since November.
The 28-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run by a northbound vehicle at the intersection of Highway 21 and Township Road 520 near Sherwood Park around 4 a.m.
RCMP want to speak with anyone who saw Phoenix hitchhiking or gave him a ride.
'He was just a free person'
Phoenix often hitchhiked. It's how he got from Winnipeg, where he spent most of his life, to Camrose.
"He was just a free person," Autumn said. "He just goes with the flow."
The siblings were close. They grew up in foster care and didn't really meet until Phoenix was 17 and Autumn was 13. Since then, they've looked out for each other.
"We try to stick together," Autumn said, adding he was very loyal.
"He made friends easily and he kept friends for so long."
Phoenix also has a four-year-old daughter in Winnipeg.
Autumn said he's always worked so that he could take care of her, and now her younger sister as well.
He had a job at a garbage and recycling company in Winnipeg and hoped to stay in the industry in Camrose, although he'd been handing out resumes everywhere, including at Dairy Queen.
"People should remember that he was a funny guy. He smiled a lot," Autumn said.
"His laugh is really loud. It's just like mine," she said. "He loved and he cared."
The family needs help paying for a casket and a funeral service, which they're hoping to hold in Winnipeg. Autumn has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the money.
