Quebec deaths probed for links to alleged poison seller Kenneth Law

Police on Montreal's South Shore are investigating two deaths for possible links to alleged serial murderer Kenneth Law.

The Toronto-area man is already charged in connection with 14 deaths in Ontario and is under scrutiny in at least three other provinces and multiple countries. Confirmation of the investigation by police in Longueuil, Que., marks the first time authorities in the province acknowledge they're probing deaths for links to Law.

Law, 58, has been in custody since he was arrested at his Mississauga, Ont., home in May 2023. Investigators alleged that since late 2020, he operated websites selling items for self-harm — including a legal, but potentially lethal, substance — to vulnerable clients.

Police in Ontario said he sent 1,200 packages to some 40 countries and 160 to Canadian addresses. According to a CBC News tally, Law's products are suspected of being linked to at least 126 deaths, from the United States to Germany and New Zealand.

Longueuil police spokesperson François Boucher said in an email that the force has three files that "have been under investigation in connection with Kenneth Law. Out of those three files, two people have died."

Boucher said the deaths — of a woman and a man between 20 and 40 years old — were deemed to be suicides but were reinvestigated after Ontario's Peel Regional Police shared new information.

A former hotel cook and trained engineer, Law is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Friday in Newmarket, Ont. He's charged with 14 counts of first-degree murder and 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in connection with the deaths of 14 people across the province, including at least five teenagers.

Montreal police announced in September they had opened an investigation after Law was found to have sent a toxic salt to addresses in the city. Asked this week whether any recipients had later died, Montreal police referred a reporter to Quebec's prosecution service, known as the DPCP (Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales). A DPCP spokesperson declined to comment.

Law's lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, has said his client intends to plead not guilty to the charges against him. Gourlay previously told CBC News that "the conduct in question is selling an otherwise legal product on the open market."

A date for Law's trial has not yet been set.

WATCH | Woman's painful experience raises questions about connection between Kenneth Law and mysterious 'Greenberg':

She nearly died after ingesting a toxic substance sold by Kenneth Law

2 months ago

Duration 2:38

A Scottish woman nearly died after ingesting a toxic substance sold to her online by Kenneth Law. She was steered to the accused murderer's site by a mysterious online figure identified only as 'Greenberg,' and she thinks it was Law himself.

The RCMP in British Columbia, as well as police in Calgary and Moose Jaw, Sask., have said they're examining cases for possible connections to Law.

The sprawling investigation in Ontario involves 11 police forces, including agencies from the Greater Toronto Area, Windsor and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Investigators have said they're working with law enforcement abroad, including the FBI and Britain's National Crime Agency.

If you have a news tip related to this story, contact CBC News senior reporter Thomas Daigle by email: thomas.daigle@cbc.ca.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.

• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.