Chantal Lavigne case
Chantal Lavigne died in July 2011 in Sherbrooke, Québec (Canada) from hyperthermia and multiple organ dysfunction following an esoteric sweating ritual, which was invented and led by Gabrielle Fréchette, a new age workshop leader. Her death was the object of worldwide media coverage. The criminal trial ended in the incarceration of the three individuals found responsible for Lavigne's death: Gabrielle Fréchette, Ginette Duclos and Gérald Fontaine. The New Age group Interested in spirituality, organic farming and alternative medicine, Lavigne started to regularly attend workshops with a group focused on New Age beliefs in 2007. Beginning with reiki and other forms of energy healing, she spent four years participating with the same group in workshops exploring different disciplines associated with the New Age movement. The group was led by Gabrielle Fréchette, who was allegedly channeling the spirit of the mythical character Melchizedek to act as a guide for the group. Until 2007, Fréchette was offering a large number of workshops that heavily leaned into esoterism, as well as private consultations, in her own personal growth consultancy in Sainte-Hélène-de-Chester, Quebec, before declaring bankruptcy. She thereafter rented locations to continue the same activities, with some members of the group eventually becoming trainers themselves.