Della Ootoova, 46, died in 2008 after her common-law spouse called police in Iqaluit and reported that she was not breathing.
An initial toxicology report stated she consumed a lethal amount of alcohol, but her family says her spouse was violently abusive toward her and contributed to her death. In fact, Amos Ootoova was originally charged with murder, though the charges were stayed the same day.
He was allegedly killed by his common-law spouse in 2009, but those charges were also stayed, according to media reports. Although Della’s autopsy was conducted on June 9, 2008, the coroner’s report was not completed until May 2009.
It stated that Della had suffered sudden cardiac death from blunt force trauma injuries in combination with a heart condition. Her family wants to know why it took so long to get the reports into her death.