Coroner holding inquest into 2021 death at RCMP detachment

The NWT’s chief coroner’s office says it will be holding an inquest into the death of a woman at the Tuktoyaktuk RCMP detachment.

Sylvia Panaktalok, 54, died while in police custody in July 2021.

Following an investigation by the Calgary Police Service, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada announced in September 2023 that it would not be pursuing criminal charges related to her death.

The police investigation and Panaktalok’s cause of death have not been publicly released. The Calgary Police Service denied Cabin Radio’s request to release all or part of its review.

The coroner’s inquest is set to take place on October 1 at the Mackenzie Hotel in Inuvik.