Maria Canton
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (Oct 18/99) - Iqaluit RCMP say the murder investigation of Shoatee Joannie is continuing with police proceeding carefully and cautiously in their investigation.

"We have to do a lot of work in order to get this to court," said Sgt. Mike O'Malley.

"We don't want to rush things and then lose out on a technicality."

Charges have yet to be laid in Nunavut's second murder. Joannie's body was found in his residence across from the Road to Nowhere on the last weekend of September. After following up on hundreds of tips from residents, some have led police to consider bringing divers in to Dead Dog Lake, about one kilometre up the Road to Nowhere.

"That is something that has come up because people tell us something that leads to something else and we have to investigate all possibilities," said O'Malley.

Special investigators, flown in from Halifax and Winnipeg within the first week of the investigation, have since left Iqaluit after assisting in the initial organization of the mountains of information. As police continue to follow daily leads about Joannie's whereabouts in the days leading up to his death, the accused in Nunavut's first murder will make a court appearance this week.

Mary Deschenes is charged with second-degree murder after allegedly killing her common-law husband on April 23. Deschenes was released on bail in May and prohibited from drinking any alcohol or possessing any firearms or knives. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin in Nunavut's Court of Justice on Tuesday.