Wood County officials review 2022 deaths

PARKERSBURG -- There were 1,198 deaths in Wood County in 2022 that were reported to the Wood County Coroner's Office, according to Wood County Coroner Mike St. Clair.

"Those were the people who took their last breath in Wood County," he said.

St. Clair said the county lost a total of 1,283 Wood County residents of people who died here or elsewhere. He appeared before the Wood County Commission Thursday to give his annual report.

The numbers are up slightly from previous years, which have averaged around 1,000 people, which St. Clair attributes to the area's aging population.

Over the last year, the coroner's office were involved with 150 deaths, including 25 suicides, three homicides, nine deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes, 26 from heart disease, two drownings, 51 related to drugs, two from alcohol, two from fire, seven falls, one ATV-related fatality and 22 others related to undisclosed causes.

More county residents are believed to have died due to drugs, but they died in another area outside Wood County, St Clair said, adding there was another person who died as a result of an ATV accident, but the person was life-flighted to Morgantown where they passed away..

During 2022, there were 12 deaths in January, 18 in February, 10 in March, nine in April, 21 in May, nine in June, 14 in July, nine in August, 12 in September, 11in October, nine in November and 15 in December.

There was an increase in suicides from 21 in 2021 to 25 in 2022; a decrease in motor vehicle crash deaths from 15 in 2021 to nine in 2022; a decrease in heart disease deaths from a high of 49 in 2020 to 38 in 2021 and 26 in 2022; and a decrease in drug related deaths from 56 in 2021 to 51 in 2022.

St. Clair said some of the suicide deaths could have also involved drugs as those were found in people's systems who might have hung or shot themselves.

COVID deaths are still being tracked by the state Department of Health and Human Resources and are considered natural deaths and the coroner's office wouldn't be too involved with those.

County officials said people do not always inform the Wood County Clerk's Office of deaths in terms of probating wills.

The coroner's office is in the former Wood County Sheriff's Building that is slated to be torn down once the new Wood County Resiliency Center is completed. The building will not be torn down until over a year from now.

St. Clair asked the commission to consider where the coroner's office could be relocated when the time comes.

Couch mentioned the old 911 Center as a possibility, but they would have to consider what the county will ultimately do with it. There are two assistant coroners who work with St. Clair. St. Clair is starting his 24th year as coroner.

"I will probably stay another year before fading off into the sunset," he said.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com