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Baldwin County coroner urges forensic-capacity upgrades, highlights fentanyl as leading cause of unnatural death
Summary
At the Jan. 7 Baldwin County Commission meeting, the county coroner delivered the office's annual report, outlined rising caseloads tied to population growth and fentanyl, described a new on-site drug analyzer that speeds results and lowers costs, and renewed calls for a forensics facility and mass-fatality capacity.
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…
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