Medical examiner’s office investigated 49% more deaths in 2022 as overdoses continued to rise
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office investigated 49% more deaths from 2019 to 2022, many caused by overdoses, accidents and heart disease, according to the office’s 2022 annual report.
Over the last year, 6,063 people died in Spokane County, which is 1.1% of the county’s population of 549,690. Of those deaths, 40% were reported to the medical examiner’s office. The Office assumed jurisdiction in 38% of those cases, or just over 15% of the county’s total deaths.
The medical examiner’s office is tasked with investigating deaths that occurred under suspicious circumstances, along with all unattended deaths.
A 5% growth in population since 2019 contributes to the number of medical examiner cases but isn’t the sole cause of the increase, said Medical Examiner Dr. Veena Singh. There has been a 15% increase in deaths overall in the county during the same period.
About 30% of the medical examiner’s caseload is overdose deaths, with 250 deaths falling under the classification in 2022.
The majority of overdoses involved multiple drugs. Fentanyl has been a growing problem nationwide for years, Singh noted, but methamphetamine overdoses have also soared in the Spokane area.
“It’s not only fentanyl – that’s the famous one,” Singh said. “But methamphetamine deaths are still going up.”
There were also a significant number of people dying at home, Singh said, especially young people.
The medical examiner’s office investigates all cases of people dying while not under the care of a medical professional. People who are on hospice or have other serious medical conditions that they are receiving care for who die at home are not considered unattended.
While people dying of natural causes was down overall in 2022, likely due to a reduction in COVID deaths, a surprising number of young people died from heart disease, Singh said.
“You don’t expect somebody young to die of heart disease because that traditionally has not been the case,” Singh said.
Twenty-five people under the age of 50 died of cardiovascular issues.
Of the 115 unhoused people who died in 2022, 67 of those deaths were ruled accidental. The majority of those accidental deaths were overdoses, along with one drowning and three hypothermia deaths.
Rates of suicide and homicide were typical for the region, Singh said. Deaths involving a vehicle were slightly down, with the majority caused by intoxicated people.
In-custody deaths were slightly down from 12 in 2021 to 9 in 2022. Five of those people were killed by police during arrest, while three died from natural causes and one person died by suicide.
Expanding services, stagnant budgets
With a nationwide shortage of forensic pathologists, the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office has stepped up to help investigate most deaths in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
The office is now taking referrals from 23 counties, up from 13 counties in 2021.
In Washington, six of the state’s 39 counties have a medical examiner’s office and the rest have a coroner, who is an elected official. Many county coroners are not forensic pathologists and cannot perform autopsies.
“We have the expertise here in the office,” Singh said. “We have a great facility.”
Expanding services has put a strain on the office, though, Singh said. Only two of the office’s budgeted three deputy medical examiner positions are filled.
While the office added one investigator and two autopsy assistants in 2022, they are sorely in need of additional administrative support, Singh said.
Not only are more cases falling under the office’s jurisdiction, but more cases are being referred to the office, which takes additional paperwork.
“It all takes paperwork, and it all takes phone calls,” Singh said.
The medical examiner’s office has also expanded tissue procurement facilities and its educational programs, including internships, Singh said.
Despite the increasing caseload and more referrals, the office’s budget hasn’t seen a significant bump, other than in 2020 due to the pandemic.
“It’s basically flat,” Singh said of her office’s budget.
Singh has turned to applying for grants to add new programs like genetic genealogy and point of care drug testing machines to the office’s repertoire. Last year, the medical examiner received more than $2 million in grants, which nearly doubled its approximately $2.6 million dollar budget then, Singh said.
To help save money, employees began doing their own transcription, moving services in-house they had previously sent out, and other cost-cutting moves.
“It sort of goes to the amazing staff here,” Singh said. “Everybody is going above and beyond.”