A St. Thomas man faces manslaughter and drug trafficking charges after a 28-year-old woman died from what police say was fentanyl he supplied. The woman was found unresponsive at a downtown address on May 30, 2026, and died in hospital.
The St. Thomas Police Service identified James Friesen, 46, as the person who gave the woman the deadly substance. He was arrested in Aylmer on June 8 and appeared in court the next day. Court records show Friesen, who has no fixed address, was remanded into custody and was due back in court on June 12.
His charges include manslaughter and trafficking fentanyl, a potent opioid that has driven a wave of overdose deaths across the region. According to Statistics Canada, fentanyl was involved in nearly 60 per cent of the 4,162 fatal opioid overdoses in Canada between January and September 2025.
St. Thomas and Elgin County have been hit especially hard. Monthly opioid-related deaths nearly tripled from an average of 1.42 in 2019 to 3.83 in 2021, which works out to roughly one death a week. The crisis has sparked local calls for more addiction services and led to federal funding for emergency treatment programs in the area.
This case follows a precedent-setting decision in London, where in March 2026 Jordan Colley, 25, was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Christina Bestward and criminal negligence causing bodily harm to Daniel Gale, after selling the couple cocaine laced with fentanyl. Police are continuing their investigation, and anyone wanting more details can check the St. Thomas Police Service website.
