Eastern Ontario woman charged with manslaughter in Cornwall, Ont. overdose death

The crest on a Cornwall police uniform. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Police in Cornwall, Ont. have announced a manslaughter charge in connection with a fatal overdose in the city last year.

A 32-year-old woman was found unconscious at a Ninth Street East business on Dec. 7, 2023 and pronounced dead. Her cause of death was later determined to be acute multi-drug toxicity, Cornwall police said.

On Thursday, Cornwall police arrested a 47-year-old woman from Lancaster, Ont. — about 20 kilometres east of Cornwall. The woman is accused of selling the drugs to the victim.

"The Cornwall Police Service is committed to fully investigating overdose cases within our community to trace and identify the source of these dangerous drugs, with the goal of holding those responsible accountable," said Cornwall Police Chief Shawna Spowart in a news release.

Brenda Lee Fortier is charged with manslaughter and possession of a Schedule I substance for the purposes of trafficking.

She was scheduled to appear in court Friday.