Pond Inlet man charged in death of common-law

(Updated 5:00 p.m., Jan. 4)

Family and friends are mourning a Pond Inlet woman found dead in her home over the holidays.

Pond Inlet RCMP found the unresponsive 31-year-old woman — whose name has not been released at the request of her family — after someone called police in the early hours of Dec. 30.

An autopsy conducted Jan. 3 revealed that the victim died as a result of a physical assault, which included several blows to the head, RCMP Staff Sgt. Stephen Bergerman said. He said there is no evidence that a weapon was used.

“The community is in a state of shock right now,” Bergerman told Nunatsiaq News. “This happened over the holidays, which is quite sad. Everyone in the community has been affected by this.”
 
The victim’s common-law husband, Kenneth Arreak, also 31, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Arreak remains in custody and will appear before the Nunavut Court of Justice at a yet to be scheduled date, Bergerman said.

The couple has young children, but police would not say if the children were in the house at the time of their mother’s death.

Pond Inlet hasn’t seen a homicide in the community since early 2009.

In January 2009, Susie Pewatoaluk, 42, was charged with manslaughter following the death of her partner Imosie Ootoova.

In January 2010, Crown lawyers entered a stay of proceedings, which essentially dismisses the trial unless further evidence comes to light.