Rock County hears medical examiner report highlighting overdose deaths, facility upgrades and 2026 training plan
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Summary
Dane County chief medical examiner Agnesh Karogalska reported to the Rock County Board on the intergovernmental arrangement with Dane County, operations and 2024 caseload trends — including eight homicides, 22 suicides, three undetermined deaths and that roughly 75–80% of overdose deaths involve fentanyl, heroin or other opiates.
Agnesh Karogalska, chief medical examiner of Dane County serving Rock County, presented the Rock County Board of Supervisors with an annual overview of the county’s medical examiner services and operational plans for 2026.
Karogalska described the existing intergovernmental agreement that gives Rock County access to Dane County’s physician-led medical examiner staff for autopsies, scene response and pathology services. “We are your medical examiner,” Karogalska said, explaining that physician review and the ability to determine cause and manner of death is part of the service provided under the agreement.
She told supervisors the office issued “a little over a thousand” cremation permits in 2024 and that 81 permits were waived through the Wisconsin Funeral Home and Cemetery Aid program (WFCAF). Karogalska said investigators received about 850 calls last year; roughly half of accepted cases proceeded to autopsy or external examination with routine toxicology testing.
Karogalska gave the board these 2024 counts: eight homicides, 22 suicides and three undetermined cases. She said accidental deaths were largely overdoses and estimated that “together, about 75, almost 80 percent” of the county’s overdoses involved fentanyl, heroin or other opiates, often with stimulants such as cocaine.
She described operational improvements the county funded this year: investigators moved into renovated space at the UW Extension building with private offices, group space, a conference room and a planned drive-through overhang to allow funeral homes to drop off decedents and conduct viewings more safely and privately.
On training and safety, Karogalska outlined a 2026 plan to expand annual training (sharps safety, body-lift procedures, proper use of powered air-purifying respirators and equipment training). She also noted that the office operates under Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) oversight and that DSPS generally defers to OSHA guidance for many safety practices.
Melissa Whitwer, director of child support, and Cassie Schinley, the employee being recognized, spoke briefly during the recognitions portion of the meeting but did not add to the medical examiner presentation.
The board did not engage in prolonged questioning after the report; Karogalska closed by saying she was happy to answer questions and the chair moved on when none were offered. The presentation will inform budget and training discussions for the coming year.
