A 35-year-old Canadian mother of four has died in a Turkish hospital hours after undergoing routine cosmetic surgery, with investigators now examining whether substances used in the days before the operation may have contributed to her death.
Jessika Chagnon Gailloux, from Saint-Lin–Laurentides in Quebec, travelled to Antalya on 2 March alongside her friend Stephanie Jobin specifically to undergo a tummy tuck and breast lift procedure at a private hospital in the city’s Kepez district. The operation concluded without reported complications, but Gailloux began feeling unwell shortly after being moved to her hospital room for post-operative monitoring. Despite efforts by the medical team, she could not be revived and was declared dead at around 4pm the same day.
Homicide detectives attended the hospital and conducted a crime scene examination reviewed by the prosecutor’s office. Police confirmed that no cuts, stab wounds or gunshot wounds were found on her body beyond the surgical stitching related to the procedure. Her body was transferred to the Antalya Forensic Medicine Institute for autopsy.
As part of their investigation, authorities took a statement from Jobin, who told officials her friend had no known illnesses. Reports subsequently emerged suggesting that prior cannabis use days before the operation was being examined as a potential factor. However, Jobin has since publicly disputed how those claims were reported, stating that translation errors between English, French and Turkish had distorted the account. “There is no drug that was taken on Turkish soil,” she said in a Facebook video. “Habits were asked, it was mentioned yes, that there had been cannabis use for days and days before the departure from Canada.”
Jobin said the first autopsy returned no findings, with no signs of cardiac arrest or pulmonary embolism identified. Results from a second autopsy have not yet been completed. Toxicology tests are expected to take several months to finalise, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Gailloux’s mother, Sonia Chagnon, announced her daughter’s death on Facebook, writing that she was struggling to breathe without her “sunshine.” Her best friend Ericka Dugas has launched a GoFundMe campaign for the four children Gailloux left behind, which had raised nearly $2,200 toward a $5,000 goal as of Tuesday. “Jessika was an extraordinary woman and a deeply loving mother,” the fundraiser description reads.
Jobin, who has been coordinating paperwork, embassy liaison and travel arrangements in the aftermath, appealed for the public to be mindful of Gailloux’s children when sharing information online. “She has children who are old enough to be on social media,” she said.
