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Medical examiner reports 9 suicides so far in 2026; raises testing concerns over synthetic W-18 and highlights therapy dog program
Summary
Winnebago County medical examiner provided an update showing nine confirmed suicides so far this year, noted overdose caseloads and testing delays for a synthetic drug (W-18), and described a therapy dog program and staffing increases to handle rising calls.
The Winnebago County medical examiner told the Judiciary & Public Safety Committee that the office has recorded nine confirmed suicide deaths so far in 2026, compared with 27 confirmed suicides in all of 2025, and that one of 2026’s deaths was a veteran.
Mackenzie Morpinski of the medical examiner’s office said the office also has one confirmed overdose and two pending overdose cases so far in 2026; in 2025 the county recorded 26 confirmed overdose deaths and one pending case. Morpinski said some of last year’s overdose cases involved inmates and that a newly identified synthetic — referred…
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