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Three face murder charges in Hay River

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Three Hay River residents – two men and a woman, all in their 20s – have been charged with murder and robbery in connection with the death of a man just after Christmas.

On Jan. 5, the RCMP's G Division Major Crimes Unit announced it had arrested and charged two men: James George Thomas, 25, and Levi Cayen, 20.

The next day, the police announced that a 25-year-old woman, Sasha Cayen, was also charged with murder and robbery.

The charges involve the death of a man between Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 on the access road to Sandy Creek on the Hay River Reserve.

The RCMP have not released the name or any other information about the victim, but court documents in Yellowknife identify him as Alexander Norwegian.

The police are not saying anything about a possible cause of death.

NWT Chief Coroner Cathy Menard said she ordered a forensic autopsy.

However, Menard said she could say nothing about the case.

"In these cases when it's a criminal investigation, the RCMP are the lead and our role is more to support the RCMP investigation, and at this time I can't give any information," she explained.

All three accused were remanded in custody and were to appear in court in Yellowknife on Jan. 8.

The RCMP said the investigation is continuing.

"Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation, no further information will be provided at this time," said Const. Samuel Holm, a media liaison officer with the South District of G Division.

"Further updates will be released as information comes available."

The RCMP responded to a report of a vehicle found on side of the access road to the Sandy Creek area on the morning of Dec. 28.

A deceased male was located inside the vehicle.

On Dec. 29, the Hay River RCMP and the Major Crimes Unit stated they were investigating the incident as a suspicious sudden death and were requesting the public's assistance for information, especially from anyone who may have been in the area between the evening of Dec. 26 and the morning of Dec. 28.

"No detail, or observation, may be too small when we are in the beginning stages of this investigation, so we need to hear from anyone who was in the area," stated Marie York-Condon, the RCMP G Division's media relations official, in a news release on Dec. 29.

The RCMP announced on Jan. 4 that it had made arrests in the case, which they were by then describing as a homicide.

"While the investigators continue with this investigation, we wanted to let the people of Hay River and the Northwest Territories know that we do have persons in custody," stated York-Condon on Jan. 4. "At this time, we do not believe there is a concern for public safety in relation to this ongoing investigation."

- with files from Kirsten Fenn