Fremont County coroner: Nonnatural deaths rise in early 2026

LANDER — Fremont County recorded its highest first-quarter coroner caseload in nearly a decade during the opening months of 2026, driven by increases in homicides, traffic fatalities and cases involving drugs or alcohol.

Presenting her first quarter report to the Fremont County Commission on April 14, Coroner Erin Ivie said the county had recorded 106 deaths as of March 31. Her office was contacted 60 times for investigation or referral and handled 47 coroner cases, representing 44% of all recorded deaths in the county.

“I don’t know why this year has been so awful,” Ivie told commissioners. “It just has.”

The most striking increases came in nonnatural deaths, which include accidents, homicides, suicides and deaths of undetermined cause. 

Fremont County recorded 22 nonnatural deaths in the first quarter of 2026, compared with six during the same period last year. Of those, 14 were accidental deaths, five were suicides and three were homicides, according to Ivie’s report.

Traffic deaths also rose sharply. The county recorded nine vehicular deaths in the first three months of 2026, compared with two during the first quarter of 2025. Fremont County recorded 11 motor vehicle deaths during all of 2025 and 10 during all of 2024.

Of the nine traffic deaths so far this year, seven reportedly involved drugs or alcohol.

“That’s the common factor,” Ivie said.

Drug and alcohol involvement was a broader theme in the report. Ivie said drug- and alcohol-related deaths accounted for 40% of coroner cases in the first quarter, up from 30% during the same period last year. Thirteen of the county’s 22 nonnatural deaths, or 59%, reportedly involved drugs or alcohol. That percentage was down slightly from the first quarter of 2025, but still represented a major share of nonnatural deaths.

Recent year-end reports show that substance involvement has remained persistent in Fremont County deaths. In both 2024 and 2025, drug- and alcohol-related deaths accounted for 32% of all coroner cases. In 2025, 33 of 68 nonnatural deaths involved drugs or alcohol; in 2024, it was 31 of 62.

Alcohol remains the most common substance identified by the coroner’s office.

Ivie reported 15 alcohol-related or alcohol-caused cases in the first quarter of 2026. In all of 2025, the coroner’s office found that alcohol was connected to 32 deaths, methamphetamine was connected to 12, fentanyl to four, kratom to three and other opiates to five. Several cases involved more than one substance.

Methamphetamine continues to be a leading concern for the office, Ivie said, particularly because overdose reversal medication such as Narcan does not work on methamphetamine.

“This is not news for Fremont County,” Ivie observed. “But there is a prevalence of methamphetamine-related or caused death. And there has been for many years.”

The first-quarter report identified three accidental deaths involving methamphetamine. Five cases were positive for cannabis, and one death involved ethylene glycol toxicity, commonly associated with antifreeze. When a commissioner asked for clarification about that substance during the meeting, Ivie explained that ethylene glycol can be fatal when ingested.

The report also reflected a heavier autopsy workload. 

Ivie said 11 autopsies had been completed for Fremont County cases in the first quarter, compared with five during the same period last year. Her office also performed 16 autopsies on contract for other counties, including nine for Natrona County.

In March alone, the office and its forensic pathologist Dr. Randall Frost performed 15 autopsies, well above the county average of eight per month.

Despite the workload, Ivie said her office is equipped to handle the caseload with its current staff, which includes three full-time employees including Ivie.

“It doesn’t always look great for my overtime budget,” Ivie said. “But we can’t determine when we get called.”

On April 14, county commissioners also checked in with Ivie about the condition of her office’s key resources. In response to a question from Chairman Larry Allen about the state of her vehicle fleet, Ivie said that coroner response work can generate heavy wear and tear, and one ten-year-old vehicle will likely need to enter the county’s capital revolving replacement process in coming years.

Ivie added that her office does not have major budget concerns outside of autopsy-related costs. Revenue from contract autopsies was already at 83% of what the office anticipated for the entire fiscal year.

Asked whether the first-quarter statistics suggest widespread public health concerns, Ivie pointed to local prevention efforts, including Fremont County’s DUI and Suicide Prevention Task Forces, as crucial tools in the county’s efforts to reduce preventable deaths.

“It’s been a trying year for our office,” Ivie said. “But it’s also been a trying year for the people of Fremont County, and our hearts go out to them.”

This story was published on May 2, 2026.