Loved ones grieving 'gentle and kind' man after he dies at the Windsor jail

The 32-year-old antheral who died astatine the Windsor jailhouse past period is being remembered arsenic a large man who ever wanted to assistance those who needed it. 

Serge Gagnon's spouse Christine McIntyre is devastated pursuing the quality of his death. 

"I miss him truthful much," she said through tears. "I wanted to turn aged with him."

McIntyre and Gagnon met 3 and a half years agone through the Downtown Mission's Phoenix Program, an intensive addiction betterment program. 

"He showed maine this beautiful emotion that I ne'er thought I'd find," she said, explaining that they were ever determination for each different erstwhile cipher other was.

She said helium utilized to enactment successful the mining industry, utilized to beryllium a boxer and loved crystal cream.

A tragic outcome

Throughout their relationship, the 2 shared successful their struggles with homelessness and addiction. A verbal altercation 3 years agone resulted successful a no-contact order, but they regularly broke it successful bid to beryllium together. That resulted successful them going successful and retired of jailhouse implicit the years for that reason. 

McIntyre said they had tried to person the bid lifted, but to nary avail.

Last month, McIntyre said some she and Gagnon ended up successful jailhouse for breaking the bid erstwhile again, but this clip with a tragic outcome. 

McIntyre said that she was successful her holding cell, erstwhile officials came to archer her that Gagnon had died.

"I couldn't halt crying," she said. 

"I aftermath up and cry, spell to slumber and cry. I hardly get my nutrient successful and past I outcry adjacent more... I couldn't judge it. I inactive can't judge it."

Through connection of mouth, and by speaking with different inmates, McIntyre said she believes Gagnon had overdosed from fentanyl, though the Ministry of the Solicitor General has not confirmed the origin of death.

The Office of the Chief Coroner confirmed to CBC that it is investigating the June 16, 2025 decease of Gagnon portion helium was successful custody astatine the South West Detention Centre. The Windsor Police Service has besides confirmed to CBC it is investigating a decease astatine the jailhouse connected that day. 

The coroner's bureau said it is not successful a presumption to find if determination volition beryllium an inquest until it receives results of the post-mortem and ancillary tests similar toxicology. 

A spokesperson told CBC, "If immoderate non-natural origin of decease is determined, a mandatory inquest would beryllium required."

'A truly large guy'

McIntyre was released days aft Gagnon's death, but without him, she is near devastated, with constricted supports to negociate her grief and her addiction. 

Ashley Shepley, the StreetLight co-ordinator with the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative, provides supports to those struggling with addiction and homelessness. 

She met McIntyre and Gagnon through the StreetLight Centre connected Wyandotte Street East, a assemblage drop-in centre wherever folks tin entree food, ministry and trauma education. 

"Serge was kind. He was precise gentle... He wanted to assistance retired with everything astatine StreetLight," Shepley remembered.

"I conscionable privation radical to understand, Serge was a truly large guy."

When Shepley found retired Serge had died, uncovering McIntyre became her apical priority. Eventually she recovered her astatine the Mission. She pointed retired that successful astir circumstances, erstwhile a spouse dies, radical are surrounded by family and offered unfortunate services — but not successful cases similar these.

"Not lone was it dehumanized due to the fact that of the full scenario, but besides similar there's nary household enactment calls coming done right?" Shepley pointed out. 

She said that radical astatine the Downtown Mission person been precise supportive of McIntyre, but nevertheless she inactive worries. 

More supports needed

Shepley shared McIntyre's communicative connected societal media and was capable to cod donations to enactment unneurotic a attraction bundle for her, arsenic good arsenic taking her retired for crystal pick this week in honour of what would person been Gagnon's 33rd birthday. 

"That's each from the assemblage conscionable listening, right? So conscionable listen," Shepley said. "I'm truly blessed that Christine fto maine in."

McIntyre said being capable to thin connected Shepley and radical astatine the Downtown Mission astatine this clip has been a blessing.

She wishes determination were much supports disposable for couples who are dealing with no-contact orders, similar a counselling radical that would springiness them an avenue to person the bid removed if they were consenting to enactment successful the effort. 

"Nobody should [have to] beryllium without their spouse due to the fact that of 1 anserine decision," McIntyre said. 

Shepley said wrong this community, a batch of radical get arrested for violating no-contact orders. She thinks McIntyre's proposition of couple's counselling supports would beryllium precise helpful. 

She said that it's mean for a mates similar McIntyre and Gagnon to combat sometimes fixed the other accent of their environment, but she remembered that what ever brought Gagnon joyousness was talking astir McIntyre.

"It looks atrocious from the outside, it truly does. 'Oh, well, those 2 are caught unneurotic again.' But like, knowing they're humans, they request connection. And there's not a batch of transportation retired here," she said. 

"So erstwhile you find idiosyncratic to link with that's safer than the rest, past you cognize they're going to link due to the fact that it's survival, right?"

McIntyre besides hopes to spot much supports for her community, arsenic she continues to header with losing the emotion of her life. 

"Just retrieve that you don't person tomorrow, you conscionable person close now," she said.

"If you emotion somebody, fto them know, due to the fact that you could aftermath up time and they could beryllium gone and you'll ne'er get that accidental to accidental I emotion you oregon I'm atrocious oregon I miss you."

CBC did effort to scope retired to a subordinate of Gagnon's immediate household but we were incapable to connect.