by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 03/97) - A Fort McPherson woman has been charged with second-degree murder following the death of her brother early Wednesday morning.

Emily Robert, 33, was arrested in connection with the suspicious death of her 31-year-old brother.

Police say Norman George Robert was found lying in the snow outside a home near the Dempster highway around 7:30 a.m. He had visited the home on Edward Snowshoe Street earlier that morning.

Police were called to the scene after a resident saw him lying in the snow and thought he needed medical attention.

Robert was pronounced dead at the scene by an attending nurse.

Sgt. Robert Gray said that the last murder in Fort McPherson occurred Dec. 14, 1995, where a woman died in a knife fight in the community.

"We're unable to release any other details at this time, but we will know more after the autopsy results come in," he said.

A member of the community who didn't want to be identified said that Robert came from a large family, but was unmarried and had no family of his own. He had seven sisters and three brothers.

"When something like this happens, everybody gets really quiet," said the woman. "It's a big shock to the community and no one really knows what happened."

The exact cause of death won't be known until an autopsy scheduled for Friday in Edmonton is complete.

The accused is still in police custody in Inuvik. She is scheduled to appear in court today.