LaSalle County coroner reports year-end caseload and flags new Illinois law on decedent handling

The LaSalle County Public Safety Committee on Jan. 2 heard preliminary year-end statistics from the coroner and was told a new Illinois law will require stricter tagging and chain-of-custody procedures for decedents.

"So we have 16 accidental deaths," the coroner, Rich, reported, and then listed other category counts including "19 traffic accidents," "1 undetermined," "1 homicide," "18 suicides," "13 overdoses" and "60 coroner medical" cases. He said some December cases remain active and that final figures will be available next month. The transcript records an annual total figure of 1,066 cases.

Rich also described required training and procedural changes tied to a recent Sangamon County funeral-home incident. "Every single body decedent has to be tagged, has a unique identifier number, has to have a chain of custody form from start to finish," he said, and added that the coroner's office and local funeral homes have agreed on a form and numbering approach. He estimated related purchases such as tags and a vehicle would be minimal and covered in his office budget.

The committee had no substantive questions and approved a motion to place the coroner's report on file. Chair noted the coroner will provide final numbers next month and that staff can share further procedural details after the meeting.

Why it matters: The new statewide requirement changes routine handling of human remains and requires the coroner's office and funeral homes to document custody from recovery through disposition. The committee's action preserves the record and starts administrative steps to implement the new procedures.