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Manslaughter charge laid in relation to April 2022 Yukon overdose death

WHITEHORSE — A Yukon man has been charged with manslaughter in an opioid overdose death last year. Police say the charge is the first of its kind in the territory, which had Canada's highest per-capita death rate from illicit toxic drugs in 2022.
Canadian Press
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The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

WHITEHORSE — A Yukon man has been charged with manslaughter in an opioid overdose death last year.

Police say the charge is the first of its kind in the territory, which had Canada's highest per-capita death rate from illicit toxic drugs in 2022.

The RCMP said Wednesday they were called to a home in Whitehorse on April 6, 2022 and found 34-year-old Stephanie Pye, of Watson Lake,  dead of an opioid overdose.

Police say the investigation of Pye's death originally led to the arrest of a man for trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance.

They now say that man has now faces a manslaughter charge in addition to the earlier ones. 

RCMP said in a statement that they recognize a lengthy period of time has passed since Pye's death, adding the investigation is complex and required a significant amount of time to get to the point of supporting the manslaughter charge.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2023

The Canadian Press