Montreal men plead guilty after keeping woman’s body on couch for six months

A Montreal police logo is seen on a detention centre in Montreal, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

MONTREAL — Two Montreal men have pleaded guilty to committing an indignity to a body, after admitting they left the remains of an Indigenous woman on the couch in their home for six months.

Prosecutor Simon Lapierre confirmed that brothers Nicodemo and Francesco Sansalone admitted guilt this week in the death of Alasie Tukkiapik.

A statement of facts read in court says the 41-year-old's family reported her missing in September 2023 in the Inuit village of Kangiqusujuaq, after not being able to reach her for several months in Montreal where she had been living.

Montreal police went to the address where she had reportedly been staying and met Nicodemo Sansalone, who told them she had died six months prior.

"She is there on the couch … she is laying on the couch for the last six months," he told the officers, according to the document.

Upon entering the home, the officers noticed a strong smell.

"Inside the living room, they noticed a human silhouette on the couch, covered by a blanket, with the feet sticking out," the document read. "Underneath the blanket, the officers found the corpse of Tukkiapik who was in a mummified state."

The statement of facts says Francesco Sansalone was in a relationship with Tukkiapik, and the two lived off and on with Nicodemo Sansalone.

Francesco Sansalone testified that his girlfriend had become weak and was bleeding but didn't want to see a doctor or go to hospital even though he encouraged her to do so.

After she died "around Feb. 12," he "put a flower on her chest" and laid her on the couch.

The statement says Francesco Sansalone didn't call 911 after his partner died because he was afraid of her family. Instead, the brothers left her on the couch for months, using a fragrance spray to try to keep the odour at bay.

Members of Tukkiapik's family, meanwhile, had been trying to reach her, and had visited the home several times but weren't let in.

"He is sorry and he wishes to change things," reads the statement, in reference to Francesco Sansalone. "He says that he is already dead inside, that he died at the same (time) as Tukkiapik."

A pathologist could not determine the woman's cause of death, but the autopsy did not show evidence of fracture or significant traumatic injuries.

Nicodemo Sansalone was arrested the day Tukkiapik's body was found. Francesco Sansalone, who had left the home a few weeks before the discovery, was arrested the following month.

The men return to court May 9 for sentencing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press