Stephanie McDonald
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

IGLULIK - An Iglulik woman was charged with second-degree murder Jan. 16 in the death of her partner in December.

Iglulik resident Brenda Uttuigak, 31, was arrested in Iqaluit on Jan. 15 and charged the next day with the murder of her domestic partner Kolitalik Innuksuk.

The 43-year-old man was discovered lying on the floor of an Iglulik residence at 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 9.

The RCMP was called to the scene and officers began CPR. The victim was rushed to the hamlet's health centre and pronounced dead at 1:55 a.m.

A day after Innuksuk's death, Iglulik Mayor Paul Quassa said he had heard a knife was involved, but RCMP wouldn't confirm how the victim was killed.

Innuksuk's body was sent south for an autopsy. Uttuigak remains in custody in Iqaluit and was to appear before the Nunavut Court of Justice today, Jan. 21. RCMP released no further details as the matter was before the court.

"Certainly it will be shocking for the people of Iglulik," Quassa said when informed by Nunavut News/North of the arrest.

As the community is small and she grew up there, everyone in the hamlet knows Uttuigak, Quassa said.

She didn't have a permanent job but would work when the opportunity arose, he said.

She had been living with Innuksuk but the two had no children together.

"Both of them were very quiet. You didn't see them too often in the community," Quassa said. "There's pain on both sides of the family and we do feel for them both."