Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Thursday, January 10, 2008

DEH CHO - A birthday celebration turned tragic when a Fort Simpson man died of suspected exposure on Dec. 20.

A coroner's investigation is being conducted into the death of Andrew Tsetso.

Tsetso was discovered lying on Cazon Crescent in Wild Rose just after 6 a.m. by people who live nearby.

He was conscious but very cold, Sgt. Cliff McKay said. He was taken to the Health Centre where he died. Attempts to stabilize his condition failed. It was his 57th birthday.

Tsetso lived in the area of Wild Rose where he was found and it's unclear where he was walking to or from, said McKay.

"He had been drinking prior to his death," McKay added.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined and the coroner's investigation is ongoing.

There hasn't been a death related to exposure in Fort Simpson in a number of years, said McKay.

"It's something you have to be careful of," he said.

McKay said residents should plan ahead before they leave their homes.

If people are going on a snowmobile ride they should bring spare parts in the event they need to make repairs to their machine and not go too far in case they have to walk back. Motorists should take extra blankets and supplies when heading out on the road, he said.

"Use good common sense," said McKay.

Overall, RCMP detachments across the Deh Cho are reporting that communities were reasonably calm over the holiday season.

"It was relatively quiet," said Cpl. Gillian Poole of the Fort Providence RCMP detachment.

Looking over the statistics from December, Poole said the detachment received 14 more calls over the month than they did during the same period last year. Eighty per cent of the calls were alcohol-related.

Out of 74 calls for service, 58 involved alcohol or drugs, said Poole.

New Year's Eve was also reasonably quiet in the hamlet with many people attending the First Night celebration, Poole said.

In Fort Liard, most of the calls that the detachment received were alcohol-related, said Cpl. Dennis McLeod.

"It was a very uneventful holiday," he said.

Nothing out of the usual occurred around Christmas or New Year's Eve, said McLeod.

Members of the Fort Simpson RCMP detachment were slightly busier over the holiday season.

There were a number of attempted break-ins over the holidays, said McKay.

At some point between Dec. 29 and the morning of Dec. 31 someone attempted to break into Deh Cho Hardware.

The perpetrator or perpetrators didn't gain entry to the store, but the side and rear doors of the building were heavily damaged, said McKay.

"They made a hell of a mess," he said.

Store employees reported the incident on Dec. 31.

This isn't the first time the store has been the subject of a break in. On June 30, 2007 the store was broken into and approximately $1,500 was stolen. McKay was unable to say if the two incidents are related.

During the holiday period between Christmas and New Year's there was also an attempted break-in at the Fort Simpson Post Office, but the perpetrators were unable to gain entry.

The RCMP don't have any leads or suspects in either case, said McKay. If anyone has information about either incident they are asked to contact the detachment or call Crime Stoppers.