Minnehaha County coroner reports 12.6% rise in case receipts for 2024, flags transport cost and morgue capacity

Dr. Kenneth Snell, Minnehaha County coroner, told the Board of Commissioners on April 15 that the coroner's office received 12.6% more case reports in 2024 compared with the prior year and accepted 5.3% more cases for coroner review.

Why it matters: The coroner’s caseload and the structure of transport contracts affect the office’s operating costs and capacity to perform examinations.

Key details from Dr. Snell’s presentation

- Caseload and examinations: The office saw a 12.6% increase in cases received and a roughly 5.3% increase in accepted cases. Examinations (autopsies and externals) increased by about 11% year over year.

- Discoveries and notifications: ‘‘DC kickbacks’’ — cases discovered after the death occurred and not immediately reported — rose by about 28%, increasing off-site storage and administrative demands, Dr. Snell said.

- Causes and manners of death: Among cases the office examined, gunshot wounds were the leading cause, followed by drug-related deaths, hypertension-related natural causes, traffic-related deaths (drivers, passengers and pedestrians), and ethanol-related deaths. When counting all accepted cases — not only those examined — natural causes were the most common manner, followed by accidental deaths, suicides, undetermined and homicides.

- Drug fatalities: Dr. Snell described methamphetamine as the largest component of drug deaths in 2024 and said fentanyl levels were ‘‘really high’’; heroin appeared in a smaller number of cases and prescription opioids were rare. Total drug deaths reported for the year were 28.

- Suicides and infants: Suicide deaths numbered 34 for 2024 (a decline from the prior year), with seasonal peaks in February, April, July and December. The office recorded two infant deaths (one unsafe sleep environment, one bacterial meningitis) and one fetal death.

- Staffing, facilities and costs: Dr. Snell said hospital partners were still recruiting a fifth physician assistant (PA) to stabilize staffing. The office recently hired a new technician and restored a full-time secretary post. A new transport contract has increased costs and the coroner's office has requested a budget increase to cover that expense. Dr. Snell also reported planning work on a proposed new morgue that would store 10 bodies (current capacity five) and provide three workstations instead of two; formal planning could occur this year with construction possibly next year.

Responses and follow-up

Commissioners thanked Dr. Snell and asked about staffing and how the office coordinates overdose data with hospitals and law enforcement. Dr. Snell described direct coordination with local police, the Drug Task Force and the DEA for notification and blood-sample preservation, and said the office is beginning to enter case data into the national OD (overdose) map to improve real-time sharing.

Ending

Dr. Snell told the board he hoped caseloads would remain lower through the spring and that a combination of staffing hires and the new morgue would reduce off-site storage costs; the board accepted the presentation with thanks.