Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

WHALE COVE (May 27/98) - Residents of Whale Cove are still in shock following the sudden death of a 10-month-old during the community's annual fishing derby May 17.

Jeremy Enuapik wouldn't have turned one-year- old until July 27. His parents, Barbera and Simon, were fishing at Pujaralaaq Lake, west of Whale Cove, when tragedy struck.

Const. Mike Harvey of the Rankin Inlet RCMP detachment said that the baby was discovered in their tent by his parents early Sunday morning and apparently died in his sleep.

"It appears to be natural causes, and we're satisfied with that," he said on Friday. "The baby was sent to an expert, a child pathologist. All the babies that die in the NWT are sent to a child pathologist in Edmonton."

Caroline Thompson, principal at Inuglak school, where the baby's father teaches kindergarten, said that the whole community is upset about the loss of the infant.

"It's been such a sad week," she said. "Our sports day was supposed to be today (on Friday) and we've postponed it -- we've been trying to build our spirits."

Hamlet senior administrative officer Terry Rogers said that people in town are saying that there were two other babies who died in the past 10 years at the same location during the fishing derby.

"... apparently all at the same lake," he said.

But Const. Harvey said that police aren't aware of any similar deaths at the same lake near Whale Cove, and he denied any validity to the stories. He said he sees it as people wanting to blame something for the tragedy.

"Someone is always looking for someone to blame," he said. "The family is just crushed. They're devastated down there in Whale Cove." The baby's body has been sent to Edmonton for an autopsy and was returned to Whale Cove Friday afternoon. The funeral was expected to be held on Saturday.