Ontario police seek escaped Iqaluit murderer

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kootoo Quaraq (Korgak) is asked to call the OPP ROPE squad at 1-416-808-5900, toll free at 1-866-870-7673 (ROPE), Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or to call 911. (OPP HANDOUT PHOTO)

The Ontario Provincial Police “ROPE,” or Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement squad, has issued a Canada-wide warrant for a convicted murderer from Iqaluit, Kootoo Quaraq, 49, who is now at large in either Ottawa or Montreal.

Quaraq had been staying at a correctional facility in Ottawa, but failed to report back after being released on day parole, the OPP said.

Quaraq, after a jury trial in April 2001 when he was aged 32, was found guilty of second-degree murder for killing Inusiq Akavak, 39, his spousal partner, on Feb. 10, 2000, at an apartment they shared in Iqaluit’s eight-storey high-rise building.

Quaraq had used Akavak’s scarf to strangle her to death, and her five-year-old daughter was present in the apartment during the killing.

Quaraq, whose name was spelled “Korgak” at that time, had previously been charged with assaulting Akavak, and when he killed her, was free on a release order.

Justice Mary Hetherington sentenced him to life in prison with no eligibility for parole until after 12 years.

He is five feet, six inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds, police said, and has brown eyes, black hair and a medium complexion.

Anyone with information that could help police locate Quaraq should contact the OPP ROPE squad at 1-416-808-5900, toll-free at 1-866-870-7673, CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS,) or by calling 911.