One person has been charged with manslaughter in relation to an overdose death from April 2022. This is the first charge of its kind in the Yukon.
On April 6, 2022, police were called to an address in downtown Whitehorse, where Stephanie Pye, age 36, of Watson Lake, YT, was found deceased. The Yukon RCMP Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation, in partnership with the Yukon Coroner's Service. It was later determined that Ms. Pye died as a result of an opioid overdose.
In the days and weeks following the death, the investigation continued following a number of investigational avenues, which led to the arrest of a man for trafficking, and possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance in April 2022.
We can now share that on March 29, 2023, that man has also been arrested directly in relation to this death, in addition to the earlier charges.
Jared Skookum, age 32 years old, from Whitehorse, YT, has been charged with Manslaughter, contrary to section 236(b) of the Criminal Code.
We recognize that a lengthy period of time has passed since Stephanie's passing, and we continue to share our condolences with the Stephanie's family and friends. This investigation is complex and required a significant amount of time to progress to the point of supporting this charge.
Although this is the first charge of manslaughter related to an opioid overdose in the Yukon, the Major Crimes Unit and all other units or detachments involved have followed and will continue to follow the necessary investigative steps in all death investigations. This is the first opioid overdose death investigation that has lead to this specific outcome.
One of our policing priorities in the Territory is supporting a healthy and safer Yukon, and opioid enforcement and participation in harm reduction efforts is connected to this priority. In the small communities that we have here in the Yukon, a single opioid overdose can have an outsized impact, compared to the impact in larger cities in other parts of the country. We are committed to continuing our work with communities, partner agencies including harm reduction agencies, and with the Governments of Yukon, First Nations, and municipalities. We also want to thank the Yukon Coroner's Service for their assistance in this investigation.
The Yukon RCMP continues to share our condolences with the family and friends of Stephanie Pye, and appreciate their patience as this investigation has progressed over the past year.
As this matter is now before the courts, the RCMP are unable to provide further information in order to respect the court process.
Correction: A previous version of this news release stated that the wrong age for Ms. Pye. This was incorrect and has been updated. We apologize for this error.