Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod, in his monthly update to the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, reported there have been 234 deaths year-to-date in the county.
Of those, two were homicides, seven were suicides with three in March, and 12 were determined accidental deaths, which include traffic collisions, falls and some drug overdoses.
The cause of one death remains undetermined, while 205 were considered natural.
Seven are pending toxicology due to “expected drug related results,” McLeod said.
Nine deaths in Lewis County this year have been a direct result of overdose or with “drugs as a contributing factor,” he said.
McLeod noted concern in an increase in fentanyl in toxicology results from the middle of last year through now. The year prior, in 2021, Lewis County reported meth as the number one drug found in overdoses.
“We work closely with all law enforcement agencies, especially JNET (Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team). They report the cartels are lacing all of the drugs, even marijuana, with fentanyl due to its highly addictive nature. Our toxicology results reflect this as we are seeing some cases of meth/methamphetamine with THC and small amounts of fentanyl,” McLeod reported in notes from Tuesday’s meeting. “We are also seeing an increase in cases where larger amounts of fentanyl are found in the toxicology.”
The coroner said he and staff are also dealing with “counterfeit pills” containing fentanyl that are round, blue and are labeled “M30.”
“These are all fentanyl and people sometimes think they are taking other prescription drugs such as hydrocodone,” McLeod said.
He also reported the office saw an increase in the presence of two kinds of the deadly drug, carfentanyl and acetyl fentanyl.
McLeod said Lewis County has not seen any cases of fatal overdoses from the new combination drug xylazine, also known as “tranq,” but said the latest report from the Drug Enforcement Administration shows it has been found in all but two states.
Xylazine is a veterinarian anesthetic that does not respond to Narcan.
The Coroner’s Office is located at 585 Center St. in Chehalis and can be reached at 360-740-1376.
Editor’s Note: The Lewis County Coroner’s Office will provide The Chronicle with this data set on deaths in the county each month from now on.
