Police in Regina have reopened an investigation into a sudden death which may be connected to an Ontario man who was arrested earlier this week for the alleged sale of lethal substances.
Kenneth Law of Mississauga, Ont., was arrested Tuesday on two charges of counselling or aiding suicide following the deaths of two Toronto-area people this year.
Law is alleged to have operated numerous websites selling materials used for euthanasia and suicide including highly concentrated packets of sodium nitrite, a common preservative fatal in high doses.
In a statement to CBC News, the Regina Police Service say the decision to reopen the case was made in response to new information provided to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service by the Peel Regional Police.
They provided no other information about the case.
Law enforcement agencies across the country were alerted to the possibility that people in their jurisdictions might have purchased the lethal powder from Law.
A Mississauga, Ont. man has been arrested for allegedly selling a toxic substance linked to two deaths in Toronto’s suburbs. Kenneth Law is charged with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide.
Other police forces across Canada said they were in contact with the Peel police, or were aware of the case.
But the ripple effects have been felt far outside Canada’s borders. Peel police allege Law mailed some 1,200 packages to 40 countries and say it is trying to co-ordinate its investigation with international partners.
According to multiple Italian media reports, authorities are investigating the April death of a 63-year-old woman in Trentino. The reports say a total of nine packages of interest were sent to Italy, but the other eight recipients were identified and safe.
An investigation by The Times of London previously linked Law’s alleged business to several deaths in the U.K. and U.S.
Both Police Scotland and the U.K.’s National Crime Agency told CBC News they are working with Canadian and other police agencies.
Law bankrupt
Law appeared in a Brampton, Ont., court on Wednesday but the matter was put over to next week. He remains in custody. Law previously told CBC News the allegations against him were false.
Documents reveal Law was $130,000 in debt and filed for bankruptcy in April 2020.
He had been working in the kitchen of a historic Toronto hotel prior to being charged. He is also a licensed professional engineer but was not permitted to practise because he has been paying reduced license fees since February 2012.
Civil court documents from that same year show the Royal Bank sued Law for non-payment of credit card debt. A judge ordered him to pay $27,000 plus interest on the debts.
Peel police say they have searched locations in connection with the case, but did not provide details.
Neighbours on the Mississauga street where Law lives say they saw several police cars parked outside a house on Tuesday, the day Law was arrested. One nearby resident said officers in an unmarked vehicle were stationed nearby for a week before the arrest.
While some mental health advocates say they weren’t previously aware of the prevalence of sodium nitrite as a method of self-harm, they say they hope good will come from this case.
David Smith, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Peel Dufferin branch, said it might bring awareness to the need for support services.
“To see someone who might be undermining that by promoting… suicide as a way to feel better, is really hard to watch,” he said. Smith said his organization is monitoring for a rise in calls for crisis support.
“If you need help,” he said, “reach out.”
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