One of the coldest cases in the North appears to be on the verge of being solved.
Nunavut RCMP announced on Thursday that Jopey Atsiqtaq was arrested on a Canada-wide warrant in Ottawa on Sept. 24 with help from the Ottawa Police Service. Atiqtaq is the suspect in connection with the murder of 15-year-old Mary Ann Birmingham, who was found deceased in Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories (now Iqaluit, Nunavut), on May 28, 1986.
Atsiqtaq was subsequently transported back to Iqaluit and appeared before Justice Faiyaz Alibhai at the Nunavut Justice Centre on Wednesday. CBC News reported that at least 60 people packed the courtroom gallery, so much so that the two rows of benches were full and people were standing in the aisle and blocking the entrance and exit doors. Members of Birmingham's family also joined virtually from Ottawa.
Atsiqtaq needed a walker to move around, according to the report. The Crown requested a no-communications order be issued for Atsiqtaq, which was granted by Alibhai.
Keir O'Flaherty, Atsiqtaq's duty counsel, said Atsiqtaq wants to appear in-person for all future hearings, as he wants to be involved in the legal proceedings and understand what's going on. Alibhai said Atsiqtaq will be allowed to appear in-person at his next court appearance, but each future appearance will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Atsiqtaq has been remanded in custody until his next court appearance on Oct. 29.
