Mohave County Medical Examiner reports 2024 case increases and substance‑related accidental deaths

John Haslett, director of contracted services for the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office, presented the office’s 2024 statistics to the Mohave County Board of Health, summarizing notifications, investigations and trends.

Haslett said total death notifications in 2024 were 2,519, of which 54 percent (1,360) were hospice notifications. The office performed 1,159 medical‑examiner investigations. By manner of death he reported: accidents (255), suicides (83), homicides (15), undetermined (14) and pending cases under 1 percent. Haslett described 104 full autopsies, 109 external examinations and 207 body‑not‑admitted (BNA) cases, where investigators concluded the case did not require entry to the office.

Comparing 2024 with 2023, Haslett said total deaths notified increased by 12 percent and hospice notifications increased 28 percent; accidental deaths increased about 10 percent while suicides decreased 17 percent. He said accidental deaths included 63 hyperthermia cases (noting Bullhead City as a focal area for that cause), 41 trauma‑related deaths often tied to motor‑vehicle crashes, and a drug‑overdose subset in which methamphetamine and fentanyl were prominent.

Haslett said the medical examiner’s office continues to work backlog and identification on several long‑pending unidentified decedent cases from 2022 and 2024. He reviewed that 62 of the 83 suicides involved firearms and that persons aged 40–64 were the most affected by suicide in 2024. He also explained the BNA classification as those incidents where investigators determined the decedent did not require transport to the office for a full case intake.

Board members asked clarifying questions about BNA definitions and hyperthermia counts; Haslett responded with definitions and referenced detailed pages in the report. No formal action followed; the presentation was informational.