Kajouji, 18, went missing from her Ottawa dormitory in March 2008. Her body was found in the Rideau River six weeks later. Kajouji, 18, went missing from her Ottawa dormitory in March 2008. Her body was found in the Rideau River six weeks later. (Nadia Kajouji's family)

The death of Carleton University student Nadia Kajouji was among the cases submitted to a U.S. prosecutor this week to determine if charges of assisting suicide should be laid against a Minnesota man.

"That case has been widely known and discussed and that certainly has been one of the integral cases that has been part of the investigation that has been submitted to prosecutors," Sgt. Paul Schnell, a spokesman for the St. Paul Minnesota police department, said Friday.

Kajouji, 18, of Brampton, Ont., went missing from her Ottawa dormitory in March 2008. Her body was found in the Rideau River six weeks later. The transcripts of her online chats show that in the weeks leading up to her death, she was encouraged to hang herself in front of a webcam by someone using the screen name "Cami D."

Excerpt from Minnesota criminal code

Whoever intentionally advises, encourages, or assists another in taking the other's own life may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 15 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $30,000, or both.

About a year ago, Minnesota police identified William Melchert-Dinkel as the man who chatted online with Kajouji. Melchert-Dinkel, who worked as a nurse, allegedly posed as a woman and encouraged Kajouji to commit suicide.

Minnesota's criminal code prohibits assisting in suicide or suicide attempts.

Schnell confirmed that the federally funded Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, based out of the St. Paul police department, sent files containing the Kajouji case and others to the Rice County prosecutor Wednesday.

The prosecutor is expected to decide within the next few weeks whether there are grounds for charges.

Schnell said he could not provide details of the file, including the number of suicides involved, while it is under review by the prosecutor.

Investigators have been gathering evidence since mid-2008, including an electronic record of internet communications based on computer forensics, Schnell said. They also needed to do extensive legal research, he added.

"It is a bit of uncharted territory," he said, noting that most cases involving the statute so far involved someone who has provided a suicidal person with a weapon or vehicle.

The task force involved focuses on the use of the internet for exploitation of children and deals mainly with sexual abuse, Schnell said. It took on this case due to forensic and investigative similarities.

The penalty for assisting suicide under Minnesota law is up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $30,000 US, or both.