The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) has released preliminary statistics for cases handled in 2024 that show drops in deaths from opioid overdoses, homicides and suicides from pandemic peaks.
While the Office’s caseload continued to surpass pre-COVID levels, with 7,202 cases falling under its jurisdiction last year, caseloads continued to drop from the pandemic-era peak of 16,041 in 2020. Before the pandemic, the office saw approximately 6,200 deaths in an average year.
Opioid overdose…
