PEHDZHEH KI/WRIGLEY
Government cuts to social programs are not directly to blame for the death of a young woman in Wrigley, but they certainly haven't helped the community.

Destiny Nahanni-Hope, 20, was found dead in Wrigley on Dec. 5. RCMP and the NWT coroner's office are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death although the Mounties have said it does not appear to be suspicious. - photo courtesy of Twitter

So says Tim Lennie, chief of the Pehdzeh Ki Dene Band in Wrigley. He confirmed the body of 20-year-old Destiny Nahanni-Hope was found Dec. 5 at the bottom of a steep embankment on the Mackenzie River.

"I have no idea how she got there, it appears she may have slipped," said Lennie. "We need to leave this up to the RCMP to find out what really happened. I myself am not a regular user of social media but I know there has been a lot of speculation and gossip about how she died. It really doesn't help."

Lennie said he could not comment on reports in other media that she had been drinking, had fought with her boyfriend, or that she froze to death after going outside without a coat wearing only one shoe.

"I don't know what happened," said Lennie. "I only know what I've heard and I'm not going to speculate on what she was doing and how she ended up where they found her."

He said the temperature in Wrigley had dropped to about -35 C on the evening of Dec. 3, the night Nahanni-Hope is believed to have gone missing.

There is no confirmation on the cause of death at this point. An autopsy on Nahanni-Hope's body was completed last week in Edmonton.

"It will be four to six weeks until we get those results back, so we just don't know how she died," said Cathy Menard, chief coroner for the NWT.

The federal and territorial governments need to take responsibility for the fact that there are few places for young people in the community to turn in terms of counselling and support, said Lennie.

"There was more in the way of social programs and counsellors when I was younger," he said.

"Our community is in complete shock. This is the worst thing that could have happened, especially this close to the holidays."

Lennie acknowledged there is more drinking in the community around the holidays and this is not the first tragedy or near-tragedy in Wrigley at this time of year.

"But again, there is little in the community in the way of help for these young people," he said. "They need someone to be able to talk to, a counsellor. They need a safe haven and they just do not have that here."

Not time for finger pointing

That said, this is not a time for finger pointing, said Lennie.

"There is a lot of anger in this community. I am fearful. I have a daughter and a granddaughter. But we need to be communicating. We need to be reaching out to the victim's family. As a leader, I have to ask myself, 'how can I best deal with this?'"

Nahanni-Hope was raised in Fort Simpson by her aunt, Sharon Allen.

"There is a lot of speculation as to what happened on social media and it is not helping," she said when reached by News/North in Edmonton on Dec. 12.

"What I do know is that her last Facebook posting was at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday. But what's being said on social media is hurtful. It's just hearsay, and it's been devastating for family and friends to read," she said.

Allen said a memorial service was being planned in Fort Simpson for Dec. 13.

"Her friends have been preparing a slide show, but the funeral plans are still tentative at this point," she said. "We just had the body released to us and that's why we've been in Edmonton."

RCMP spokesperson Const. Elenore Sturko stated in an e-mail that police are treating the tragedy as a "sudden death."

"There is no evidence to suspect foul play at this time," she stated.

The RCMP is working with the coroner's office on the investigation.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.