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

The 32-year-old man who died at the Windsor jail last month is being remembered as a great man who always wanted to help those who needed it. 

Serge Gagnon's partner Christine McIntyre is devastated following the news of his death. 

"I miss him so much," she said through tears. "I wanted to grow old with him."

McIntyre and Gagnon met three and a half years ago through the Downtown Mission's Phoenix Program, an intensive addiction recovery program. 

"He showed me this beautiful love that I never thought I'd find," she said, explaining that they were always there for each other when nobody else was.

She said he used to work in the mining industry, used to be a boxer and loved ice cream.

A tragic outcome

Throughout their relationship, the two shared in their struggles with homelessness and addiction. A verbal altercation three years ago resulted in a no-contact order, but they regularly broke it in order to be together. That resulted in them going in and out of jail over the years for that reason. 

McIntyre said they had tried to have the order lifted, but to no avail.

Last month, McIntyre said both she and Gagnon ended up in jail for breaking the order once again, but this time with a tragic outcome. 

McIntyre said that she was in her holding cell, when officials came to tell her that Gagnon had died.

"I couldn't stop crying," she said. 

"I wake up and cry, go to sleep and cry. I barely get my food in and then I cry even more... I couldn't accept it. I still can't accept it."

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

The Office of the Chief Coroner confirmed to CBC that it is investigating the June 16, 2025 death of Gagnon while he was in custody at the South West Detention Centre. The Windsor Police Service has also confirmed to CBC it is investigating a death at the jail on that day. 

The coroner's office said it is not in a position to determine if there will be an inquest until it receives results of the post-mortem and ancillary tests like toxicology. 

A spokesperson told CBC, "If any non-natural cause of death is determined, a mandatory inquest would be required."

'A really great guy'

McIntyre was released days after Gagnon's death, but without him, she is left devastated, with limited supports to manage 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 on Wyandotte Street East, a community drop-in centre where folks can access food, ministry and trauma education. 

"Serge was kind. He was very gentle... He wanted to help out with everything at StreetLight," Shepley remembered.

"I just want people to understand, Serge was a really great guy."

When Shepley found out Serge had died, finding McIntyre became her top priority. Eventually she found her at the Mission. She pointed out that in most circumstances, when a partner dies, people are surrounded by family and offered victim services — but not in cases like these.

"Not only was it dehumanized because of the whole scenario, but also like there's no family support calls coming through right?" Shepley pointed out. 

She said that people at the Downtown Mission have been very supportive of McIntyre, but nonetheless she still worries. 

More supports needed

Shepley shared McIntyre's story on social media and was able to collect donations to put together a care package for her, as well as taking her out for ice cream this week in honour of what would have been Gagnon's 33rd birthday. 

"That's all from the community just listening, right? So just listen," Shepley said. "I'm really happy that Christine let me in."

McIntyre said being able to lean on Shepley and people at the Downtown Mission at this time has been a blessing.

She wishes there were more supports available for couples who are dealing with no-contact orders, like a counselling group that would give them an avenue to have the order removed if they were willing to put in the effort. 

"Nobody should [have to] be without their partner because of one stupid decision," McIntyre said. 

Shepley said within this community, a lot of people get arrested for violating no-contact orders. She thinks McIntyre's suggestion of couple's counselling supports would be very helpful. 

She said that it's normal for a couple like McIntyre and Gagnon to fight sometimes given the extra stress of their environment, but she remembered that what always brought Gagnon joy was talking about McIntyre.

"It looks bad from the outside, it really does. 'Oh, well, those two are caught together again.' But like, understanding they're humans, they need connection. And there's not a lot of connection out here," she said. 

"So when you find somebody to connect with that's safer than the rest, then you know they're going to connect because it's survival, right?"

McIntyre also hopes to see more supports for her community, as she continues to cope with losing the love of her life. 

"Just remember that you don't have tomorrow, you just have right now," she said.

"If you love somebody, let them know, because you could wake up tomorrow and they could be gone and you'll never get that chance to say I love you or I'm sorry or I miss you."

CBC did try to reach out to a member of Gagnon's immediate family but we were unable to connect.