(Fremont County, WY) – Fremont County Coroner Erin Ivie provided her office’s mid-year update at Fremont County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 11. The totals are as of July 1, 2023.
There have been 159 recorded deaths in Fremont County so far in 2023. 76 of them have been coroner cases. Compared to 2022, there has only been one additional case (76 compared to 75).
So far, for the first half of 2023, the cases of “non-natural” in manner (accident, homicide, suicide, undetermined) is 38% of the total coroner cases.
- The number of accidental deaths is 23, eight more than in the first half of 2022.
- The number of deaths by suicide is 3, two less than in the first half of 2022.
- The number of deaths by homicide is 2, one more than in the first half of 2022.
- One undetermined death
There have been eight vehicular deaths so far in 2023, two more than in the first half of 2022.
- Two of the eight are drug/alcohol related (two cases are pending toxicology)
- One pedestrian death, one ATV/UTV
Drugs and alcohol related deaths in the first half of 2023 account for 27 percent of all coroner cases, and 44 percent of the non-natural deaths.
Drugs and/or alcohol were confirmed in both homicides, 1 of 3 suicides, and confirmed in 10 of 23 accidental deaths.
Alcohol remains the number one drug in related deaths (11). Methamphetamine is number two (10) and cannabis is number three (3). Fentanyl was present in two deaths, the same as prescription opioids (Oxycodone, Morphine).
There are six cases pending toxicology, which may change these totals. In some instances, a combination of alcohol/drugs were present.
15 out-of-county autopsies have been completed. Five out-of-county autopsies were rejected due to the inability to complete at their current facility. All but three have been paid for by their respective county.
There have been two search and recovery events involving the coroner’s office (1 Lander, 1 Riverton). Charges related to those recoveries are pending and may be cover by other State entities.