Hardin County coroner reports rise in drug-related deaths, detects new 'designer' drugs

Coroner Pat Elmore presented the office’s annual report at a February fiscal court meeting and said the coroner’s office handled 1,178 cases last year, including 78 accidents, five homicides, 71 natural deaths and 18 suicides.

“Elmore said the coroner’s office handled 1,178 cases last year,” Elmore added, listing modes of death and noting that overdoses remain the leading cause of accidental deaths.

The report showed drug-related deaths rose to 42 from 37 the prior year; Elmore said toxicology results were pending on three additional cases and that number could rise to about 45. He described the most frequently detected substances as “designer opioids, methamphetamine, and antidepressants,” and named newer substances appearing in local toxicology as kratom, xylazine and remazolam.

“Those are the designer ones. Those are the ones that have just shown up in the last year or so,” Elmore said, explaining the county’s toxicology findings.

Elmore also reviewed suicide data, saying the office handled 18 suicides last year and that firearms remained the leading method, followed by asphyxia and overdose. He noted demographic patterns reported in the data, including that white residents and persons in a roughly 30-and-up age range were often represented in the suicide totals.

The coroner showed maps and charts indicating case origin, including in-county cities such as Elizabethtown and Radcliffe and some cases brought from other counties or states for investigation. He said some out-of-state cases reflect workers or transportation incidents.

Elmore invited questions after the presentation and the court did not take further action during the meeting.