Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting is shown during an interview at his office in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, May 1, 2019.
Drug overdose deaths in Bartholomew County soared to 39 last year — the equivalent of one death roughly every nine days.
The official annual total — the highest on record — comes from the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office, which recently released its 2022 annual report.
The report, which also includes figures on other manners of death such as suicides and homicides, seeks to provide data to help reduce preventable deaths in the community.
“The most concerning (thing) to me is overdose deaths,” Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said. “Our numbers have continued upward since 2018. …We must do more to stop the flow of these drugs into our county.”
The most common drug involved in overdose deaths last year was fentanyl, which was detected in 27 of the 39 deaths, the report states. Animal tranquilizer xylazine was detected in one overdose death in 2022, though that death also involved fentanyl.
Officials have largely attributed the historic rise in overdose deaths in the county to the increasing presence of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is more potent than heroin that officials say is increasingly being mixed with other drugs.
Overdose deaths have risen nearly seven-fold since 2015, setting records for three consecutive years, local records show. There were 33 fatal overdoses in 2021, up from six in 2015.
However, most overdose deaths involve multiple substances, Nolting said. “Only 12 cases (in 2022) involved a single drug,” he said. “All other cases involve multiple types of drugs.”
While it is hard to say how the drug crisis will evolve this year, overdose deaths are currently at their slowest pace since 2015.
As of Thursday morning, there had been one confirmed overdose death in Bartholomew County so far this year, down from six deaths at the same point last year, Nolting said.
“Every death is a tragedy for those left behind and who must go on without their loved one,” Nolting said. “Overdose deaths affect every segment of our society, and no one is out of the grasp of this disease. We strive and continue to educate the public through seminars, guest speaking occurrences and distribution of educational materials.”
Other investigations
Overall, the coroner’s office investigated 160 deaths in 2022, down from 170 the year before, Nolting said.
Most of the deaths that the coroner’s office investigated, 58%, were determined to be of natural causes, the report states.
Last year, suicides declined to their lowest level since at least 2015, with six recorded in the county, according to the report. By comparison, suicides had hovered between 11 and 16 in each of the previous five years.
All but one of the suicides last year involved a firearm, the report states.
Homicides ticked down last year to four, compared to six in 2021 and five in 2020. Nine people died in motor vehicle accidents last year, up slightly from eight in 2021.
As of Thursday, the coroner’s office had investigated 13 deaths so far this year, down from 18 at the same point in 2021.
Indiana coroners do not investigate all deaths in the county and has jurisdiction over homicides, suicides and accidents, the report states.
In addition, coroners investigate natural deaths that are sudden and unexpected, unwitnessed, suspicious or if the person who died did not have a physician.
“The staff of the coroner’s office recognizes that each number represents a unique human life,” the report states. “We extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have died. It is our hope that fewer families will come to experience the same grief by our sharing statistical data to assist those who work to reduce preventable deaths.”
Where to find the report
Visit www.bartholomew.in.gov/department-listings.html#annual-report to view the report.
