Yellowknife (Nov 17/04) - A four-member panel has been appointed to investigate the release and supervision of the man charged in the death of parole officer Louise Pargeter.

Pargeter, 34, was found dead in the Yellowknife apartment of a client on Oct. 6. Eli Ulayuk, 36, was later charged with first-degree murder in connection with Pargeter's death.

The board of investigation, convened jointly by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the National Parole Board (NPB), will likely meet in Ottawa and will consist of chair Andrejs Berzins, an Ontario lawyer; Titus Allooloo, a former NWT MLA and cabinet minister; Simonne Ferguson, Ontario regional director with the NPB; and Janice Russell, a permanent investigator with the Incident Investigations Branch of CSC.

The board, which has extensive search and seizure powers during its investigation, is charged with examining many factors related to the incident, including the release, supervision and handling of Ulayuk; staff safety procedures; incident background and chronology; and a profile of the accused.

Michele Pilon-Santilli, a spokeswoman with CSC, said the investigation will likely begin as soon as possible and investigators will have to visit Yellowknife at some point.

The panel's report is due by Jan. 31, 2005.

Ulayuk is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 18.