Irish police find new deaths possibly linked to Mississauga’s alleged suicide salesman as worldwide total hits 112

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.

Ireland police discovered a “small number” of deaths in that country are connected to companies run by a Toronto-area chef that now faces 14 charges of aiding and abetting suicides in Canada, the police force confirmed to CTV News.

The deaths investigated by An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police and security service, were one factor that pushed the number of deaths worldwide possibly connected to Law to at least 112, according to a count by CTV News.

“Following information received from, and at the request of, the Canadian Authorities, An Garda Síochána has carried out a number of welfare checks in this jurisdiction,” a spokesperson said.

“In a small number of cases An Garda Síochána has identified that the persons subject of the welfare check were deceased,” the spokesperson said.

The products identified by the Canadian police aren’t illegal in Ireland, and there’s no criminal investigation at this point, the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, a joint task force of 11 police services in Ontario laid 12 new charges against Law, a former chef at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel who is now in custody.

Police said the new charges involve four deaths in Toronto, three in York Region, one in Durham Region, one in London, Ontario, one in Thunder Bay, one in Waterloo, and one additional death in Peel Region, bringing that region’s total to three.

At a news conference at Peel police headquarters on Tuesday, York Regional Police Insp. Simon James, who is leading the multi-jurisdictional case, told reporters that the victims range in age from 16 to 36.

“We will not be releasing any information regarding the identity of the victims in these cases. This is to respect the privacy of the victims and their family members and to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” James said.

A map of deaths possibly tied to Kenneth Law rises to 112, according to a CTV News tracker.That update came days after Britain’s National Crime Agency said 272 people had ordered products that could be used for self-harm from Canadian websites, and of those, 88 had died. The NCA would launch its own investigation, the force said.

Combined with other cases across the world, sourced through media, family members and various authorities, the number of deaths CTV News is tracking that may be linked to Kenneth Law’s products has reached 112.

The mounting figures had family members of some alleged victims in shock.

“It’s just incredible to think the deaths that man could have been responsible for,” said David Parfett, whose son Tom died after ordering a product from one of Law’s sites to the U.K.

He said he’s hoping officials will also look at an online network that appears to have promoted Law’s products.

“Every death is a tragedy and the numbers here defy belief,” Parfett said.

The joint task force is limited to Ontario, leaving out some other Canadians who believe their loved ones died after ordering a product from Law’s website.

One mother, Isabella, said her son Jaden died in February 2021 in Langley, B.C. She said she complained to the RCMP at the time but nothing was done then.

“This makes me wonder how many other people are in my position, trying to get attention from my detachment,” she said in an interview.

Law has said he was just doing business and had no influence on what customers did with his products. He remains in custody.