Paul Hindle and Lisa Lebitka are seen together in this undated photo. Hindle has been charged with second-degree murder in Lebitka's death.
It was a 911 call that brought uniformed officers from Toronto's 53 Division to Lisa Lebitka's well-kept Leaside home early Sunday afternoon.
The call had been made by the interior decorator's live-in boyfriend, Paul Hindle, voicing concern because he said he had not seen his mate for several days and had no idea where she was.
Mr. Hindle greeted the officers at the door, and it may be he had anticipated they would jot down some notes and depart.
But they didn't leave, perhaps sensing that something in the rented bungalow duplex at 211 Airdrie Rd., near Bayview Avenue and Eglinton Avenue – decked out with Christmas decorations that included an inflatable Santa Claus at the front entrance – was seriously amiss.
If so, they were right, because in one of the two bedrooms, concealed under a covering, was Ms. Lebitka's body, police say. It had been there for several days and was decomposing, complicating the identification process.
When the police did depart, later that same day, they took Mr. Hindle with them.
It took three days to positively identify the body, with investigators ultimately resorting to dental records. It bore no major injuries, such as stab or bludgeon wounds, leaving the cause of death a mystery. Ms. Lebitka had been dead no more than a week when police found her.
Mr. Hindle has been charged with second-degree murder, and appeared briefly in court Tuesday afternoon, clad in an orange jail jumpsuit. His case was put over. Since his arrest, he has been speaking with police, who are looking to talk to anyone who dealt with him in the days leading up to his partner's death.
Stitching together the links between Ms. Lebitka, 45, and Mr. Hindle, 46, a few facts seem clear. Previously married and apparently amicably separated, she had three children, aged 10, 8 and 6.
Mr. Hindle, too, had children of his own – two teenaged sons, Evan and Zack – and he and Ms. Lebitka had lived together in upscale Leaside for about two years, neighbours said.
In a Twitter posting by @EvanHindle, which appeared two days after Ms. Lebitka's body was discovered, the author made a disparaging remark about "Paul" being detained.
Both Mr. Hindle and Ms. Lebitka were working professionals. A York University graduate who had lived most of her life around the Leaside area, Ms. Lebitka ran her own interior decorating company.
Mr. Hindle was employed by a corporate recruitment firm, www.work.com, based in Ontario and Quebec. "He was a vice-president with the company since January, 2011," spokeswoman Dijana Ebach said, adding that he has now been suspended without pay.
Relatives, such as Mr. Hindle's sister-in-law, Nancy Whyte, thought that he and Ms. Lebitka had dated in high school before reuniting in recent years.
However, two friends who knew Ms. Lebitka from the days she attended Leaside High School in the early 1980s, doubted that she and Mr. Hindle were very close during their school days.
A woman who used to play hockey with Ms. Lebitka said Mr. Hindle was one grade ahead but not a boyfriend.
"I am not sure if they ever dated. I don't believe that they did. I think they were just friends," said another high school friend, a Toronto-area IT consultant.
Whatever their previous ties, the couple's relationship at the time of Ms. Lebitka's death appeared cordial, several neighbours were quoted as saying. And neither had ever been in trouble with the law, police sources confirm.
So far, police have declined all comment as to how and why Mr. Hindle's girlfriend died. What is certain is that on Jan. 17, he will be making a return trip to court, this time via videolink.
In the meantime, he remains behind bars.
With reports from Tu Thanh Ha and Adrian Morrow