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Midwest Medical Examiner reports 262 Pine County deaths in 2024; overdoses linked to meth and fentanyl
Summary
Shane Sheets, director of the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office, told Pine County commissioners the office handled 262 reported deaths in Pine County for 2024, with 29 accidents (including 13 drug overdose substance‑abuse fatalities) and 12 blunt‑force fatalities. Methamphetamine and fentanyl were the most common substances detected.
Shane Sheets, director of the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office, presented the office’s 2024 overview to the Pine County Board on May 20 and summarized local death trends, toxicology findings and services the office provides to Pine County residents.
Sheets said the office received reports for 262 deaths in Pine County in 2024 and performs investigations that include scene visits, interviews and autopsies when needed. "You had a total cases reported to us for 250... again, 262 deaths in Pine County," he said.
Key findings and services: - Manners of death: Sheets reported 29 accidental deaths in 2024 (including drug overdoses), 10 natural deaths investigated as non‑apparent natural deaths, 7 suicides and 0 undetermined deaths. "For suicides... it's middle aged, white male, firearms," he said when describing statewide patterns. - Accident subcategories and causes: The office counted 12 blunt‑force injury deaths (motor vehicle collisions and falls), 13 drug overdose deaths, two exposure deaths, one fire death and one infant unsafe‑sleep death. - Drugs detected: Toxicology showed methamphetamine present in 12 deaths; Sheets said methamphetamine and fentanyl were the primary substances in Pine County overdose deaths. - Comparative context: Sheets told commissioners that Pine County’s overdose and substance patterns are broadly similar to other rural counties and that statewide fatal overdose maps (OD maps) are being updated with real‑time data from the examiner's office after autopsies. - Additional services: The office conducts Alzheimer’s/dementia brain removals for research and offers cultural‑sensitive services such as removal of metal hardware for Hmong families who require that for burial rites. Sheets said the medical examiner’s office serves 37 Minnesota counties — about 32% of the state population — and also consults for 11 counties in Wisconsin.
Sheets told commissioners the office does not plan a rate increase next year and offered to bring commissioners for a tour of the facility. "We see no rate increase for next year," he said. "Please email me. Let me know if you have any questions. ... We'd love to have you, though, just to to show you what... taxpayer dollars are going to."
