Faces of the lives lost: These families blame Kenneth Law for their grief

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A TikToker, a university student and a teenager are among the more than 110 lives cut short in multiple countries, allegedly linked to Kenneth Law.

The Toronto-area man was arrested in May after Peel Regional Police investigated two local deaths. On Aug. 29, more charges were laid, and Law now faces 14 counts of counselling or aiding suicide in Ontario. Police allege Law, 57, operated websites selling a potentially lethal substance and other suicide paraphernalia to at-risk clients.

British investigators revealed that they had identified 272 people, 88 of whom had died, who bought products from Canadian-based websites allegedly linked to Law and that they're looking into whether any crimes had been committed in the U.K. At the same time, authorities from other countries, including the United States, New Zealand, Italy and Ireland, suspect he may be tied to many more deaths.

CBC News has been in touch with several families who agreed to speak about their loss.

Lee Cooper remembers his brother Gary, from Liverpool, England, as "brilliant." He said Gary endured mental health struggles but was beginning to turn a corner in the summer of 2022.

"He was getting help. He was slowly but surely getting there, and unfortunately he found [a pro-suicide] forum before he could get better, so he didn't get a chance to heal."

Gary used a toxic substance to take his own life. Lee said investigators found that the envelope used to mail the poison was postmarked from Canada.

The family of Briton Michael Dunham has been fighting to get a pro-suicide forum shut down since his death in October 2021. His sister Hollie said it's "to make sure nobody else ever goes through what we've been through.... I'll do whatever it takes."

After Michael's death, Hollie was forwarded a series of text messages he had sent. They included a picture of a sodium nitrite packet from a website linked to Law.

"I am so sorry," Michael wrote.

Tonia Jones, from the Detroit area, remembers her son Anthony as a "good kid" who loved sweets, devoured books and enjoyed anime. Since his death in February 2022, Tonia has tried to warn other parents to "watch for warning signs" of loved ones in distress.

After Anthony ingested a substance purchased online, he ran to his mother and screamed, "I want to live, I want to live," Tonia said. He was rushed to hospital, but it was too late.

A torn-up paper invoice was later found nearby showing Anthony's address and a company name associated with Law.