A man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter more than four years after his spiritual retreat client died after taking psychedelics and a frog toxin.
Soulore Solaris, 52, was arrested and charged on Tuesday morning over the 2021 death of a man at the Arcoora retreat he ran at Collins Creek, about 60 kilometers from Byron Bay in northern New South Wales.
He was charged with the manslaughter of Jarrad Antonovich, who died of a perforated esophagus after consuming the psychedelic plant ayahuasca and kambo frog venom.
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Police allege that Solaris presided over a ceremonial ritual using the substances on October 16, 2021 and provided ayahuasca to Antonovich.
The operator, formerly known as Peter George McIntyre, is also accused of delaying the 47-year-old’s medical treatment after he collapsed from drug use.
Kambo is only found in the Amazon rainforest and must be obtained by scraping the clear mucus-like substance from the back of a giant tree frog.
It is classified as a Schedule 10 poison by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the highest level of classification, meaning its use is prohibited.
The use of kambo was banned two weeks before Antonovich’s death.
Ayahuasca, banned in 2022, is a psychedelic of plant origin that is normally consumed as a “tea” with a bitter taste and strong smell.
The use of both substances is based on the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities in South America, and their followers believe that they can detoxify the body.
The state Health Care Complaint Commission has prohibited Solaris from “providing any health services, whether in paid or voluntary employment, to any member of the public.”
Antonovich’s family had previously called for similar ceremonies to be banned.
“He had a heart of gold…no one deserves what happened to him,” the victim’s brother, Chris, told reporters after an inquest into the 2024 death.
Solaris was released on bail Tuesday, on conditions that he not leave the country, report to police three times a week and provide a $20,000 security deal in case he fails to appear in court.
He will face Lismore Local Court on March 30.
