Medical examiner: Cass County deaths returning toward pre‑COVID levels; cremation reviews rising

Dr. Patrick Hansma, chief medical examiner at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, told the Cass County Board of Commissioners that Cass County mortality figures in the office's annual report are trending back toward pre‑COVID levels.

Hansma said the office recorded 157 deaths reported to the medical examiner for the most recent reporting period on the county summary and described a wider pattern of declining total deaths. "Everything's kind of just settling back down, really, is what it is," he said.

He highlighted a steady rise in cremation permit authorizations and described the practical impact on the office: medical examiners receive and review death certificates tied to cremation and may open investigations because cremation destroys the body. "Cremation has become the dominant preferred form of disposition, for mortal remains," Hansma said, noting that authorizing cremations has been consuming more staff time.

Hansma summarized other Cass County figures from the report. He said the county recorded 114 natural deaths, 10 suicides and one homicide in the reported period, and that most deaths remain among older residents. He described a small rise in pediatric fatalities but cautioned the numbers were too small for firm conclusions: "You can't make any statistical conclusions from that," he said, noting two pediatric deaths in the period, one drowning and one blunt‑force injury involving a motor vehicle.

On accidental deaths, Hansma said motor-vehicle crashes and drug overdoses were the most common mechanisms, with ground‑level falls also accounting for several fatalities: "Falls 'are most often ground level falls," he said, giving the example of an elderly person who fractures a hip and does not recover. He told commissioners accidental drug deaths accounted for about half of accidental deaths and that, in cases reviewed, roughly "89 percent, so approximately 90 percent, of cases involved opioids."

On suicide methods, Hansma said firearms were the most common method in the county during the reporting period, followed by hangings, drugs and motor vehicles. "Eighty percent of [suicides] were males," he added when describing the demographics in the report.

Hansma closed by noting he has led the office for one year following his predecessor's resignation and invited commissioners to contact the medical examiner's office with questions about county mortality statistics. "If you ever need us for anything, please reach out," he said, adding the office is reachable through its website and maintains 24/7 availability.

The presentation was made during the board's regular meeting; commissioners asked no follow‑up questions on the record.