Baldwin County Coroner delivered the office's 2024 annual report to the Baldwin County Commission on Jan. 7, saying the office's caseload and the region's population growth have stretched existing facilities and prompted plans to expand local forensic capacity.

The coroner told commissioners that 2,374 deaths occurred in the county last fiscal year and that 1,005 of those were reported to the coroner's office; of those reports, 641 met criteria for further investigation. He said overdose deaths overtook other unnatural causes beginning in 2020 when fentanyl arrived locally and that fentanyl remained a major factor in overdose fatalities in the most recent fiscal year.

Why it matters: The coroner said the office needs more workspace, refrigeration and injury-imaging capacity to process a growing number of cases and to respond to potential mass-fatality incidents. He said local forensic capability also helps prosecutors by keeping evidence and expert witnesses in-state, which can facilitate case work.

Key details and steps under way: The coroner described three specific steps taken or planned to improve operations: acquiring a Randox Multistat drug analyzer, integrating into the state SMORT (mass-fatality) response region, and continued work with state partners on planning a Baldwin County forensics building. On the Randox device, he said, "Once they come in our office, we can get them in 1 hour. The machine takes 33 minutes. It takes about 30 minutes to prep the blood sample. Once we receive it, we bring them back to the office, take the blood sample. We prep the blood sample." He said the machine tests for 29 drugs of abuse and has reduced per-test outsourcing costs from about $400 to about $40.

The coroner said the office has used the new analyzer since June and that it has helped investigations: "Since June of us acquiring this, we have made 6 arrests on drug dealers for manslaughter cases in in the county." He also said faster local testing reduces out-of-county transports and saves taxpayers money.

Operational context: The coroner described the current office as roughly 1,500 square feet with added modular and conex space and showed a proposed regional Baldwin County Forensics concept that would co-locate half of the sheriff's crime-scene unit, coroner operations and a morgue. He said the commission had previously asked staff to revisit a budget for a joint facility and that the cost estimate had increased about $1 million since earlier planning.

Training and partnerships: The coroner said he was appointed by Governor Ivey to the Alabama Coroners Training Commission and that the office hosted training events, an internship program with the University of South Alabama and a citizen coroner academy to educate the public and partners. He said the office also assisted Legacy of Hope with tissue donations and cited partnerships with local law enforcement, hospitals and prosecutors.

Commissioner questions and remarks: Commissioners praised the office's work and asked practical questions about test speed and costs; one commissioner asked how quickly Randox results are available, and the coroner responded as above. Several commissioners thanked the coroner and staff for training and outreach efforts and for preparing for future needs.

Ending note: The coroner asked the commission to continue support for facility planning so the county is prepared before a catastrophic event forces change; commissioners signaled support and appreciation but did not take a formal funding vote during the meeting.