County Medical Examiner John Hasset presented the 2024 death certificate report to the Board of Health at last month’s quarterly meeting. Not all deaths reported to the County ME’s Office fall under their jurisdiction. Some of the deaths reported are certified by the decedent’s primary care physician.In order to be considered a Mohave County ME's Office case, the death must have occurred within Mohave County or within a county or region in which the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office has authority pursuant to a intergovernmental agreement.
Cases Year over Year: 2018 - 2,366, 2019 - 2,229, 2020 - 2,524, 2021 - 2,725, 2022 - 2,463, 2023 - 2,242, 2024 - 2,519
2024 Passing by Region: Bullhead 841, Kingman 1,038, Lake Havasu 597, AZ Strip 43
Natural Cases 75 - By Cause: Cardiac - 32; Pulmonary - 14; Neurological - 7; Cancer - 3; Liver/Alcohol - 7; Infectious - 5; Metabolic - 3; Gastrointestinal - 2; Pediatric - 1; Allergy - 1
Natural Cases By Age Groups: Infant (0-1 year) 2 ,Young Adult (18-39) 8, Adult (40-64) 23, Senior (65+) 42
Undetermined Cases By Cause 14: MVA 1, Asphyxia 1, Drugs 4, Undetermined 8
Undetermined Cases By Age Groups: Infant ( 0-1 year) 1 Young Adult (18-39) 3 Adult (40-64) 7 Senior (65+) 2 Unknown (Doe Case) 1
Total Suicides Cases 83. By Cause: Firearm 62, Asphyxia 2, Hanging 11, Self Injury 6, Carbon Monoxide 2
Suicide Cases By Age Groups: Teenager (13-17) 1, Young Adult (18-39) 21, Adult (40-64) 32, Senior (65+) 29
Homicide Cases 15 - By Cause: Firearm 10, Shotgun 2, Injuries/Trauma 3
Homicide Cases By Age Groups: Teenager (13-17) 1, Young Adult (18-39) 5, Adult (40-64) 9
Accidents 255: Alcohol 5, Fentanyl 12, Methamphetamine 26, Combined Meth and Fentanyl 29, Combined Drugs/Narcotics 16, Drugs 6, Drowning 8, Hypothermia 3, Hyperthermia 67, Injuries/Trauma 41, Fall 36, Fire 5, Other 5
Accidents By Age Groups: Children (2-12) 2, Young Adult (18-39) 44, Adult (40-64) 96, Senior (65+) 113
The three major causes of accidental deaths involve Injuries/Trauma due to Motor Vehicle Accidents, Drug Overdoses, and Weather (Heat Related). Fentanyl and Meth combined is the leading cause of passing for drug overdoses.
Analysis: 2024 VS 2023: Total Deaths Notified - Up 277 cases, 12%; Hospice Notifications - Up 300 cases, 28%; Investigations - Down 23 cases, 2%; Declines - Down 29 cases, 4%; Accidental Deaths - Up 23 cases, 10%; Suicides - Down 17 cases, 17%; Homicides - Up 1 cases, 7%; Undetermined - Up 2 cases, 17%; Natural - Up 2 cases, 3%; Pending - Up 5 cases, 45%
This data will change as they finalize the pending cases. The majority of the pending cases are Doe cases.