Slain Iqaluit woman's father frustrated with wait

The father of an Iqaluit woman who was found dead two weeks ago, along with her two daughters, says he cannot bury his daughter and granddaughters because the coroner's office still has their bodies.

The bodies of Sula Enuaraq, 29, and her daughters Alexandra, 7, and Aliyah Degrasse, 2, were found in their home on June 7, in a widely suspected case of murder-suicide involving the children's father.

A rifle was found near the body of Sylvain Degrasse, 44, at the Iqaluit cemetery that same day. Autopsy results indicate the family members died of gunshot wounds to the face and head.

Just over two weeks after the deaths took place, Enuaraq's family is still waiting for Nunavut's coroner's office to release the bodies of Enuaraq and her daughters.

"It's caused us a lot of grief because we've been waiting and waiting and waiting … and very little information has been given to us," Appitak Enuaraq, the woman's father, told CBC News Tuesday from his home in Pond Inlet, Nunavut.

Family members leaving before funeral

The elder Enuaraq said family members travelled to Pond Inlet, where Enuaraq and the girls will be buried, shortly after the deaths took place.

But some of those family members have since had to return home — even before the funeral takes place — because it is taking so long for the bodies to be released, he added.

While RCMP identified all four bodies soon after they were discovered, chief coroner Padma Suramala said her office is still waiting for DNA identification results to come in, hopefully by Saturday.

"I really feel very sorry for the families that they have to wait, but this is one of the mandatory tests," Suramala said.

Appitak Enuaraq said a communications strategy should be developed between the RCMP and the coroner's office to ensure family members of the deceased know exactly what to expect from the start.