Joannie’s killer still at large

IQALUIT — Nearly two years after the unsolved murder of Shoatee Joannie, police won’t say if they’re any closer to catching his killer.

The 39-year-old Iqaluit man was found murdered Sept. 25, 1999, at his home near the Road to Nowhere. An autopsy concluded he died of “blunt force trauma.”
His killer remains free.

Due to the continuing police investigation, few details about the death have been revealed, including whether a murder weapon was found.

Dozens of RCMP officers have worked on the case, including homicide specialists from Halifax and Winnipeg. DNA tests from the crime scene were collected and analysed, but led to no arrests.

Const. Lisa Ford of the RCMP’s V Division said police are still actively investigating the case.

“We’re working with the family,” she said. “Other than that I can’t give you any more specific information.”

Ford would not say whether police have suspects in the case, nor whether an arrest could be expected soon.

She said only one other murder in Nunavut remains unsolved. That’s the case of Mary-Anne Birmingham, who was killed in Iqaluit in 1986.