Editor’s note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health there are a number of ways to get help, including by calling Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. A list of local crisis centres is also available here.
An Ontario mom is remembering her son who died by suicide using products police believe he ordered online from alleged suicide salesman Kenneth Law, as the number of deaths Law may be linked to climbed to at least 120.
Kim Prosser is now raising money for a non-profit she hopes will give troubled youth more options after she says her 19-year-old son Ashtyn succumbed to isolation and suicidal thoughts, ultimately ordering a deadly product online.
“He was this brilliant, amazing kid, really good,” she recalled in an interview with CTV News Toronto, pointing to photographs including one of Ashtyn throwing his hat up at graduation, off to start university in Toronto in 2021.
But isolation, partly brought on from COVID-19 measures, got to Ashtyn, she said. With no in-person classes, he dropped out, moved to Thunder Bay, Ont., and was on waitlists to receive mental health care. He was one month shy of his 20th birthday when he died in March.
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“It was heartbreaking. Like I’ve never known heartbreak in my entire life,” Prosser said. “The graduation photo memories hit hard this year. It feels like there was all this future and now that’s gone.”
Prosser says it was a surprise when police told her Ashtyn’s death would be among 14 charges laid against Kenneth Law.
Law, a trained engineer and former chef, has been accused of aiding and abetting suicide by selling hoods, masks, and deadly concentrations of sodium nitrite online.
Police have said he sent more than 1,200 packages to 40 countries. British police have started their own criminal investigation after concluding 88 people in England died after ordering those packages.
As officers in the multi-agency Ontario task force follow leads, they are calling in help from other forces across Canada. Some of those have confirmed they are investigating as yet unreported deaths.
The Saskatoon Police Service says it has been in touch with Peel Regional Police and is investigating one death in that city, and police in Moose Jaw say they are also investigating a death in conjunction with the province’s coroner.
“We do have information to suggest that kits were sold to residents in Saskatoon and that one person, believed to have received a kit, died,” said the Saskatoon Police’s spokesperson Joshua Grella.
The Calgary Police Service says it’s awaiting final autopsy results in two sudden death investigations, which they say “may have connections to an ongoing investigation being led by Peel Regional Police.”
And in B.C., E Division RCMP said in a statement they are now investigating six deaths, including one where a mother had complained her warnings in 2021 fell on deaf ears.
“We are aware that multiple RCMP jurisdictions within B.C. have received information from policing partners that has resulted in at least six investigations requiring further review. We are not in a position to provide specific details as these investigations remain ongoing and no charges have been laid,” wrote spokesperson Staff Sergeant Kris Clark.
In Regina, one death had been investigated, but it turned out not to be related, according to local police.
In all, accounts from family members, media, and authorities worldwide have brought the total number of deaths that may be linked to Law to at least 120, according to tracking by CTV News Toronto.
Law appeared again in court on Friday in Brampton. Authorities are in the process of moving all charges to Newmarket courts. Law is considered innocent until proven guilty and has said he’s not responsible for what people do with his products.
Prosser is planning a celebration of life and legacy for Ashtyn on Saturday, and is raising money to make a non-profit to help with young people’s mental health.
“No matter who you are, there’s trauma in your life. I don’t think there is anyone who can escape at some point. We all experience it,” she said.
