‘I loved her to death:’ Grieving Iqaluit dad seeks answers in daughter’s death
Elisapi Naluiyuk, 20, died in Iqaluit on Dec. 26; police say they’re investigating ‘sudden’ death
Kingwatsiak Qinguatsiak at his home in Iqaluit, with the photo of his daughter Elisapi Naluiyuk who died on Dec. 26. (Photo by Daron Letts)
For Kingwatsiak Qinguatsiak, as for any grieving parent, the death of his daughter was the end of life as he knew it.
“She was my baby and everybody’s best friend,” Qinguatsiak said Monday at his Iqaluit home. A photo of 20-year-old Elisapi Naluiyuk sits on his dining room table, with a box of tissues placed nearby.
“I loved her to death,” he said.
It’s not just grief. Qinguatsiak is also angry.
RCMP announced Jan. 3 that they are investigating the “sudden death” of a 20-year-old female in Iqaluit. Police didn’t identify the woman or offer further details. On Wednesday, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. George Henrie declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
But Qinguatsiak said he knows it’s his daughter.
He said Naluiyuk spent Christmas Day with him and the rest of the family. They had their usual turkey dinner and shared gifts.
“Little did I know that this would be our last Christmas,” he said.
The next day, Boxing Day night, Naluiyuk went out with her friends. A few hours later, RCMP officers came to Qinguatsiak’s house.
At first, he didn’t think much of it. That had happened before “once in a blue moon” because of his sons’ minor mischiefs over the years.

Elisapi Naluiyuk, 20, died in Iqaluit on Dec. 26. Her father says she was a kind person who could make anybody smile. (Photo courtesy of Kingwatsiak Qinguatsiak)
It’s when the officers asked to sit down that he knew something was very wrong.
Since Naluiyuk’s death, Qinguatsiak has been searching for answers. Who is responsible for the death of his “baby girl,” a middle child in the family of three sons and two daughters.
While RCMP, including the service’s major crimes unit, continue to investigate, no charges have been laid in relation to Naluiyuk’s death.
Qinguatsiak said he met with Premier P.J. Akeeagok and several territorial ministers on Jan. 2 to tell them the government is failing to protect Inuit women.
“Kids are suffering. Parents are suffering,” he said.
Community values have changed. People used to help and love each other in the past, but it’s not like that anymore, he told the ministers. And they agreed, he said.
Akeeagok’s office confirmed the meeting happened, but did not offer further details on the discussion.
But Qinguatsiak is still angry.
He said that when Naluiyuk returned to Iqaluit from Ottawa about four months ago, she had big plans to change her life. After working odd jobs for years and dealing with a drinking problem, she wanted to get rehabilitation and then, possibly, go to college.
However, her application for rehab dragged on for months, Qinguatsiak said.
“The system has failed me,” he said.
“It failed my daughter. And they [government workers] are still gonna have their jobs. And I’m still gonna be home. Waiting for my daughter that’s never coming home.”
On Dec. 30, the family started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and flight costs for extended family to attend the service. No funeral date has been set, as the investigation into Naluiyuk’s death continues.
The day after she died, Qinguatsiak said he took down the ornaments from his Christmas tree — all but the one Naluiyuk made in school when she was five years old.
He filled the rest of the space with her baby pictures.
Qinguatsiak didn’t take a photo of the redecorated tree.
“It’s in here,” he said, pointing at his head. “And mostly in here,” he added, with his hand over his heart.
“Qinguatsiak said he met with Premier P.J. Akeeagok and several territorial ministers on Jan. 2 to tell them the government is failing to protect Inuit women.”
What do people think the government can do in situations like this? Especially given that so little seems known about what happened.
His daughter waited months to hear back about rehab…we have so many transients, and can’t help a young inuit who wants to change.
Is that what caused this? You don’t even know…
I get it, this is a very emotional story, people need some one to blame, to divert their anger toward. This idea that we can point at the government with the expectation they can personally take responsibility for every Inuk woman any time she leaves her home home might have a visceral appeal right now but it’s not reality.
Sadly it can take years to get a bed in a public rehab facility. One of the reasons privately operated rehab centers exist in canada. Always seeing people doing gofundmes for rehab admission costs. So much for free health care eh. This is terrible no parent should have to outlive their own kids. Thoughts and prayers to her loved ones.
I mean no this isnt the case for everyone… I didnt have en extrodinary drinking problem and was able to get into rehab in a few weeks with the option of 5 different locations. Someone else I know just left within a month of requesting. Yes it is the system, because guess what both of us are white, riddle me that.
It’s not the system, its the people working in the system. The system is fine, but the people who work in the system aren’t doing their job. You can see the quality of service deteriorating, especially after covid. Fewer and fewer people just don’t want to work in Nunavut, peoples from outside and within Nunavut.
Rest in peace ❤️ my sincere condolences to the Family! This is an unimaginable loss, as a parent I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to lose a child. Aakulukua. Be strong for her and ensure you get justice. The people who did this better brought to justice, they look a young life way to soon.
You and your family are in my thoughts❤️
The issue here is the fact that she sought help for her drinking problem. Why did it take so long for her application to get anywhere? If she weren’t drinking she wouldn’t have ended up in the situation she did. Heartbreaking.
Your analysis is pure conjecture. You have no clue whatsoever about what happened, for one. Nor do you know what might have happened had she been accepted into rehab. Stop doing this.