The Texas County Coroner answered 28 calls in September 2023.
In the community, there were 23 natural deaths, including cancer (5), dementia (4), pulmonary embolism (4), stroke (2), respiratory disease (1), heart disease (1), seizure (1), ALS (1), cardiac arrhythmia (1), hyponatremia (1), sepsis (1) and unborn infant (1).
There were three accidental deaths in the community, one was due to injuries sustained in a fall, and two were due to accidental drug overdoses: Fentanyl and methamphetamine respectively.
There were two offender deaths at South Central Correctional Center in September. One death was due to cancer and the other was suicide by ligature asphyxiation.
On Sept. 21, Coroner Marie Lasater attended the Governer’s Commission on Coroner Standards and Training in Jefferson City. Training objectives were further discussed, as was a path to certification for all coroners.