The Nunatsiavut Government is calling for an independent investigation into the death of a young woman in Happy Valley-Goose Bay late last week.

The body of the 23-year-old Nain woman was removed from a makeshift tent in a wooded area near the community early last Friday morning.

The Nunatsiavut Government says the young woman was a frequent visitor and client of the Housing Hub—an emergency shelter operated by the Nunatsiavut Government in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

President Johannes Lampe says concerns have been raised that police neglected to interview key witnesses before issuing a public statement that the woman’s death was not suspicious.

Questions have also been raised as to whether police properly secured the scene, and whether potential evidence may have been left behind.

President Lampe wonders if the matter would have been handled differently if the victim wasn’t a homeless or transient Indigenous woman living in a tent.

Her passing is the second death of a Labrador Inuk in recent weeks. Jonathan Henoche died at HMP in St. John’s on November 7, in an incident involving correctional officers. That matter remains under investigation.