(Lander, WY) – The Fremont County Deputy Coroner Erin Ivie provided a mid-year summary at the August 9 Fremont County Commissioners’ meeting. The numbers provided are as of July 1.
There have been 168 recorded deaths in Fremont County. 75 of them have been coroner cases. That is one more than the same timeframe in 2021.
The total cases that are “non-natural” in manner (accident, homicide, suicide, undetermined) is 28 percent of the total coroner cases.
The number of accidental deaths is 15, six less than in the first half of 2021. The number of deaths by suicide is five, the same as the first half of 2021. The number of deaths by homicide is one, one less than in the first half of 2021.
Three of the five suicides are aged 21 and younger. “This is a disturbing trend so far this year,” she said.
There have been six vehicular deaths so far in 2022, four less than in the first half of 2021. Five of the six are drug/alcohol-related. All incidents are single vehicle and there has been one pedestrian death.
It’s noted that coroner numbers/percentages are trending more closely in line with pre-COVID numbers.
Drugs- and alcohol-related deaths in the first half of 2022 account for 29 percent of all coroner cases, and 52 percent of the non-natural deaths.
Drugs and/or alcohol were confirmed in one homicide, one of five suicides (one case pending toxicology), and confirmed in nine of 15 accidental deaths.
Alcohol remains the number one drug in related deaths (14). Methamphetamine is second (6) and cannabis is third (3). There are seven total pending cases for the first half of 2022, the outcomes may change these totals.