False drowning report triggers overnight search in Inukjuak
Village pursuing charges, emergency responders already stretched thin, says Mayor Bobby Epoo
Inukjuak emergency workers conduct a search and rescue in 2019. The community conducted an overnight search Aug. 24 after receiving a false report of a drowning in the community’s river. The man was later found safe, and the Nunavik Police Service has opened a file into the report. (File photo by Johnny Kasudluak)
A false report that a man had drowned in Inukjuak on Monday night triggered an overnight search while the community’s emergency services were already stretched to capacity, Mayor Bobby Epoo says.
A report that came in around 7:45 p.m. claimed a man had jumped into the river and drowned, he said.
The community launched a search-and-rescue operation, with a rescue boat deployed on the river and community members searching the coastline. It continued until about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, before resuming around 6 a.m., he said.
“On that specific night, the entire medical staff in the clinic and first responders were called in with other types of emergencies like accidents, pneumonia and conjugal violence,” Epoo said Friday in an interview.
A couple of hours into the morning search, community members told Epoo and municipal manager Aliva Tookalook that the alleged victim was spotted walking from where the incident had been reported.
They later verified that the man was safe and called off the search, Epoo said.
In an Aug. 25 Facebook post, Epoo said that the village would pursue charges over the false report, citing the danger involved and the heavy drain on municipal emergency resources.
In an email to Nunatsiaq News, Nunavik Police Service public relations manager Julie Berthold said the initial information provided to first responders and to the municipality was “inaccurate and misleading.”
She said officers walked along the river and visited the alleged victim’s relatives and friends until he was found safe.
Epoo said one officer took a boat across the river to search the rocky and slippery shoreline, which posed a risk because the officer was wearing 70 pounds of equipment.
Four search-and-rescue members were on a boat. Others drove their personal boats, with two or three people in each.
There were also “maybe 20 other people” walking along the river’s edge and a licensed local drone operator, Epoo said.
Intentionally misleading police, including by making a false complaint to cause prejudice against someone, can lead to a charge of public mischief, Berthold said in the email.
Police are investigating, Berthold said, although no arrests have been made.
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