Summit County's drug overdose problem is causing a different problem in other counties.
Summit County contracts to complete autopsies of bodies from other counties where they don't have the facilities or the personnel. The problem is the sharp increase in the number of autopsies required here and much of that is due to a drug overdose problem that doesn't seem to be declining. It can create a slight backlog and that means other counties are being forced to look elsewhere.
"We do have the relationship we have with Summit County," said Wayne County Coroner's Office Chief Investigator Luke Reynolds. "They provide a good service and we like it being close."
Reynolds says sending bodies to Canton is one thing but transporting to Toledo or Columbus also increases expenses. Either way, it's still Wayne County's best bet, compared to being able to handle it in Wooster.
"Currently, it would not be cost-effective to have our own lab," said Reynolds. "The lab would be the most expensive part of that. The science that goes into that is pretty extensive."
Summit County's medical examiner's office handled about 150 heroin or fentanyl deaths last year and about 175 fatal OD's overall. The number was fewer than 100 just three years earlier.