Medical examiner: Cass County saw no homicides in 2024, cremation rate climbs

Dr. Hansma, the regional medical examiner, told the Cass County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 4 that the county's caseload has declined since 2021 and that 2024 showed a return toward pre-COVID levels.

The medical examiner presented the office's annual report and highlighted several figures: 79 percent of deaths reported to the office resulted in cremation authorizations, there were zero homicides reported in Cass County for 2024, and nine drug-related deaths certified as accidents. "Only 2 of those 9 involved opioids in Cass County," Hansma said, noting opioid involvement was lower in the county than in some neighboring jurisdictions. He also reported one pediatric suicide by hanging among the year's cases.

Hansma said cremation-permit reviews are increasingly important because cremation limits the ability to perform post-mortem examinations that could identify nonnatural causes of death. "We approve cremation permits to make sure that no non natural deaths are slipping through the cracks uninvestigated before that body is cremated," he said.

Board members did not press for extended follow-up questions during the presentation. Hansma offered to discuss opioid trends in more detail if the board wished, but said patterns differ by county: "Cass County, the numbers have continued to decline. In other counties, they've stabilized. In other counties, they've gone up."

The presentation also included a breakdown of manners and mechanisms of death by age group. Hansma noted that, as typical in many counties, the majority of deaths were natural and that the elderly made up a large share of reported cases. He concluded by directing commissioners to the full regional report and website for additional comparative data.

The board took no formal action on the medical-examiner report; Hansma left the data with the county for reference and offered to return for follow-up if requested.