[1]Compiled from information contained in Lewis County Coroner’s Office annual report
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Coroner’s Office has released its annual report showing that last year 33 individual’s deaths here were accidental, 11 of them were suicide and none were found to be homicide.
Of the 767 deaths occurring in Lewis County during 2015, most of them were labeled as natural, meaning they occurred from the natural disease process.
The coroner’s office serves the county by investigating sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious and unnatural deaths.
Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod is responsible for finding the cause and manner of death. He was elected to the half-time position at the end of 2010 and since has been authorized into a full-time position.
In past years, the coroner has generally been unable to determine the manner of death for five or fewer people annually. At the end of 2015, McLeod had 13 cases in which he could not say why the person died, according to the report.
The majority of the eight-page report primarily describes the coroner’s office’s purpose, mission and methods.
McLeod’s summary does not offer any data on the causes of death predominant in Lewis County.