Fifteen-year-old Mary Ann Birmingham was born in the remote Arctic community of Iqaluit, Nunavut, where she grew up in a loving family. Described by those who knew her as bubbly, friendly, and personable, she was talented in poetry and art, winning contests in elementary school, and she enjoyed dancing, playing dress-up, and spending time with her siblings. Her family included her mother, Sarah Birmingham, and several siblings, among them Elisapee Sheutiapik, who later became Iqaluit’s mayor from 2010 to 2022, and Barbara Sevigny.
At the time of her death, Mary Ann’s family was facing hardship. Her brother Lyta was undergoing cancer treatment in Montreal, and her mother and other family members had traveled there to support him. This left Mary Ann alone in their home at house 109C in Iqaluit.
On May 26th, 1986, Mary Ann was found stabbed to death in the family home. Her body was discovered by her sister Barbara Sevigny, who had returned to Iqaluit that morning. The teen had been mutilated in the attack, adding to the horror of the crime. The murder weapon was believed to be a kitchen knife.
The small community was devastated. In the aftermath, locals offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, advertised in the Nunatsiaq News for months. Despite this, initial investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) yielded no immediate suspects or sufficient evidence.
The case quickly went cold, hampered by challenges unique to policing in Nunavut. High turnover rates among RCMP officers—often on two-year rotations—meant constant restarts on the file, making it feel as though Mary Ann had been forgotten. Family members visited the RCMP annually for updates, but progress was minimal until the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in the late 2010s prompted more frequent communication, including monthly check-ins.
In the fall of 1986, suspicion fell on Jopey Atsiqtaq (also spelled Jopie Atsqtaq in some reports), who was arrested and convicted for the murders of twenty-one-year-old Pootoogoo Eyesiak and his mother, fifty-one-year-old Oolayou Eyesiak, in Iqaluit that same year. Those killings also involved a kitchen knife, fueling community beliefs that Atsiqtaq was also responsible for Mary Ann’s death. He was charged with her murder, but a preliminary inquiry found insufficient evidence, and the charge was dismissed. Atsiqtaq denied involvement in a letter to Nunatsiaq News, admitting only to the Eyesiak murders, for which he received a life sentence with parole eligibility after ten years. He was never granted full parole and remained incarcerated until recent events.
In May 2017, Elisapee Sheutiapik and authorities issued a public plea for information. The RCMP’s Major Crimes Unit continued the investigation, with Barbara Sevigny noting improved updates starting around 2018 or 2019.
After decades of stagnation, the Nunavut RCMP Major Crimes Unit, in collaboration with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, secured a second-degree murder indictment against Atsiqtaq on September 19th, 2024. He was arrested the following day in Ottawa on a Canada-wide warrant while on day parole. Atsiqtaq, appearing frail and using a walker, made his first court appearance in the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit on September 25th, 2024. The courtroom was packed with over fifty family members and supporters, including notable figures like musician Susan Aglukark and former Nunavut commissioner Ann Meekitjuk Hanson. Several relatives, including Elisapee and Barbara, joined virtually from Ottawa.
Justice Faiyaz Alibhai granted a no-contact order, prohibiting Atsiqtaq from communicating with over a dozen people, including Mary Ann’s sisters. Atsiqtaq did not enter a plea and requested in-person appearances for future hearings, which the judge allowed on a case-by-case basis. He remained in custody, with his next appearance set for October 29th, 2024.
In a significant update, Atsiqtaq was denied bail on July 22nd, 2025, following a June hearing. Judge Mark Mossey ruled that he would remain in custody in Nunavut, with evidence from the hearing under a publication ban. As of September 2025, the case continues, with Atsiqtaq having appeared in court multiple times since his arrest.
Mary Ann’s family has been relentless in their pursuit of justice. Elisapee Sheutiapik and Barbara Sevigny expressed relief at the arrest but braced for a lengthy legal process. Until such time as Atsiqtaq’s conviction is secured, the murder of Mary Ann Birmingham remains officially unsolved.
Crime Immemorial 