Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and suicidal ideation. Take care when reading.
Montreal police say they have opened an investigation into so-called “suicide kits” containing sodium nitrate allegedly being mailed to local residents by an Ontario man linked to 120 deaths worldwide.
Police said Monday the kits were allegedly prepared by Kenneth Law, 57, and mailed to addresses in the Montreal area.
Law, a trained engineer and former chef from Mississauga, Ont., was first charged in May in relation to two deaths in the Peel region and has been accused of aiding and abetting suicide by selling hoods, masks, and deadly concentrations of sodium nitrite online.
Encouraging or assisting someone to take their own life is a criminal offence in Canada.
Law has said he’s not responsible for what people do with his products.
Montreal police said several names of different companies appear on the kits that were mailed out, including Academic/ACademic, Escape Mode/escMode, Imtime Cuisine, AmbuCA and ICemac.
“The SPVM is calling for vigilance, as the kits contain sodium nitrite powder, which can be fatal if ingested in large doses. It can also cause skin irritation if not handled with gloves,” the force said in a news release.
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.
With files from CTV News Toronto