Podcasts · True Crime

Hunting the Suicide Salesman

CBC

15 episodes · in order

Following the critically acclaimed series Hunting Warhead, Season 2 follows host Daemon Fairless as he takes us inside another dark corner of the internet: the online world helping people take their own lives.

More about the show

When people around the world started killing themselves with an obscure substance a few years ago, police were unaware that something – someone – was tying many of these deaths together.

It took grieving families and investigative journalists to piece together what was actually happening and to trace the source of the substance – first, to an online suicide forum and then, to a salesman in Canada: Kenneth Law.

Police believe he sent more than 1200 shipments to 41 countries… and may be connected to more than 145 deaths around the world.

But this story is far bigger than any one man… It's about the places desperate people go when they can’t find what they need in the real world – and a deadly problem we’re afraid to talk about.

If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone you know, call or text 9-8-8 in Canada or the United States for support. If your life is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. You can find additional and international resources at cbc.ca/hunting.

About HUNTING: Investigating where the internet meets the unspeakable. Host Daemon Fairless tackles subjects most people would rather avoid, like online child sexual abuse (S1: Hunting Warhead), or the forums dedicated to suicide (S2: Hunting the Suicide Salesman).

For the best in true crime from CBC, ad-free, visit apple.co/cbctruecrime.

Episodes

  1. Trailer - Hunting Warhead

    · 2:45 · Trailer

    A new investigative series from CBC Podcasts and the Norwegian newspaper VG, Hunting Warhead follows an international team of police officers as they attempt to track down the people behind a massive child-abuse site…

  2. Episode 1: Hacker vs. Hacker

    · 54 min · S1 E1 · Explicit

    Einar Stangvik is a white-hat hacker — an internet security expert with an expertise in cracking the most secure and disturbing parts of the web. He discovers a troubling phenomenon online and joins forces with…

  3. Episode 2: Rude Awakening

    · 44 min · S1 E2 · Explicit

    All Gordon wants for his birthday is to travel to Washington, D.C., to visit museums and see the opera. He’s completely unaware that his companion on this trip has very different plans. His friend has an alter ego,…

  4. Episode 3: Operation Artemis

    · 45 min · S1 E3 · Explicit

    After the arrest of Canadian Benjamin Faulkner, Taskforce Argos has to learn how to become Warhead on Child’s Play, before its users realize that the site has been compromised. But time is running out — and very…

  5. Episode 4: Impact Statement

    · 48 min · S1 E4 · Explicit

    Jenn was home alone with her children when she received a call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They needed to talk to her as soon as possible. It was about her relative, Ben Faulkner. For transcripts of…

  6. Episode 5: Becoming Warhead

    · 1 h 06 min · S1 E5 · Explicit

    What led Benjamin Faulkner to become Warhead? And, more importantly, how do you prevent others like him from following the same path? For transcripts of this series, please visit:…

  7. Episode 6: Fallout

    · 54 min · S1 E6 · Explicit

    At Faulkner’s final sentencing hearing, we finally discover the true extent of his activities on the dark web. We thought we knew everything he had been up to. We were wrong. For transcripts of this series, please…

  8. Hunting Warhead is coming back, but first: Real talk on high-risk reporting

    · 48 min

    They say you should never meet your heroes. Daemon Fairless disagrees. First, he has an update on the return of Hunting Warhead. But then he takes us behind-the-scenes on another project he’s been working on as a story…

  9. Season 2 Trailer: Hunting the Suicide Salesman

    · 3:07 · Trailer

    This season, host Daemon Fairless takes you inside the business of suicide and a deadly corner of the internet: the online world helping people take their own lives. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried…

  10. Episode 1: ‘Don't touch the glass’

    · 47 min · S2 E1

    After a young British man ends his life with a mysterious substance, his grieving family stumbles into the online world that helped him – and countless others – die. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried…

  11. Episode 2: The Sting

    · 45 min · S2 E2

    A string of suicides across the globe seem to be connected to a salesman in Canada. But does he know what he’s selling is being used for? An undercover journalist uncovers a bombshell. If you are thinking about…

  12. Episode 3: Greenberg

    · 42 min · S2 E3

    After years of operating under the radar, Kenneth Law is now under police investigation. How does a once-successful businessman find himself bankrupt and in the business of suicide? If you are thinking about suicide…

  13. Episode 4: One Star Reviews

    · 38 min · S2 E4

    The business of suicide is far bigger than one man. Meet the lawyers taking on the trillion-dollar company that sold far more of the substance than police allege Kenneth Law ever did. If you are thinking about suicide…

  14. Episode 5: ‘What if it's this simple?’

    · 51 min · S2 E5

    Putting Kenneth Law behind bars won’t do anything to stop people from wanting to die… or going online to learn how. What – if anything – will? If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone you know,…

  15. Hunting the unspeakable: A conversation with Rebecca Lavoie

    · 28 min · Bonus

    Daemon and producer Ilina Ghosh sit down with Rebecca Lavoie (Crime Writers On) to talk about the making of Hunting the Suicide Salesman, and why it's important to tell stories that people might think they don't want…

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