County coroner’s 2024 report shows rise in suicide, decline in overdose deaths

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Lebanon County reported contrasting death statistics for 2024, as suicides increased by one-third while overdose fatalities dropped by more than half.

The number of suicides in 2024 increased by 33 percent over 2023 while drug overdose deaths declined by 57 percent that same year, according to statistics released by the Lebanon County Coroner’s Office.

Additionally, homicides dropped by 80 percent from five in 2023 to one in 2024. In the lone case ruled as a homicide, the victim died after a gun was discharged towards a closed door and the bullet hit the individual. The two individuals who were charged in that case knew the victim, according to LebTown reports.

In Lebanon County in 2024, the total number of cases investigated by the coroner’s office increased by five for a total of 345. The number of cases handled by the coroner’s office rose slightly this year, after having decreased for the last several years following a peak in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read More: Local coroner death investigations down in 2023; suicide, drug ODs remain steady

After rising from 329 deaths in 2019 to a peak of 526 in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the coroner’s office had continued to respond to fewer annual calls since the start of this decade. The office had 498 calls in 2021, 376 in 2022 and 340 in 2023.

Suicide rate climbs in 2024

Lebanon County coroner Dr. Jeffrey A. Yocum said he believes various factors contributed to a higher rate in 2024 from the previous year.

“Why do I believe that stat is trending upward?” Yocum asked. “An accumulation of chronic stress, trauma, and a lack of coping mechanisms plays a part in the upward tick. There is a strong presence of educational resources, radio and television ad campaigns that will hopefully contribute to these statistics moving in a downward trend.”

Data shows that older adults tend to end their lives more often than younger individuals in Lebanon County. 

“The average age of those whom committed suicide was 55 – 26 males and four females, and ages ranged from 12 to 92,” Yocum said. “I can only speculate as to the ‘why’ that older adults are committing suicide. Stressors associated with aging, decline of physical health, loss of friends and loved ones, may compound feelings of hopelessness in our elderly population.”

Holly Leahy, administrator of Lebanon County Mental Health/Intellectual Disability/Early Intervention, agreed that older county residents are more likely to end their lives.

“In our community, it’s not younger people who are committing suicide,” Leahy said. “It’s Caucasian males, middle aged and older who are committing suicide. It’s always been that way in Lebanon County, for whatever reason.”

The overarching question for officials is why do males who live in the Lebanon Valley overwhelmingly commit suicide over their female counterparts.

“We could speculate a lot of reasons as to why it is more culturally accepted. Is it because our culture expects males to be stronger and not express their emotions? Is it because they have difficulties that they have things fall apart in their lives?” Leahy asked. “So few leave a note to tell us why. All we have is information that the family or the coroner tells us. Most times, however, we don’t have direct knowledge from that person as to the why.” 

In cases involving suicide, guns continue to be the preferred method of choice. There were 19 gunshot wounds, seven hangings, three drug-related deaths, and one carbon monoxide poisoning in 2024, according to the coroner’s report.

Leahy said it’s hard to comprehend why self-inflicted gunshots and asphyxiation are overwhelmingly the method of choice. In one case last year, she said the family had removed firearms from their loved one who was known to have mental health issues. That person still found a way to get access to a firearm and end their life, she added.

LebTown asked Yocum if his office researches gun ownership for those individuals who commit suicide.

“Our office does not track if weapons are legally owned; however, I can say the police search their database with respect to ownership of weapons,” Yocum said.

Leahy added that 15, or half, of those who killed themselves in 2024 had diagnosed mental health problems but only four were known to the county’s MH/ID/EI department. In all 15 cases, there was what she called a “serious mental illness” diagnosis. 

OD deaths decline

The prominent drug for drug-related fatalities in 2024 was heroin, fentanyl toxicity, Yocum stated. LebTown asked if xylazine, which is being imported illegally from China, was found in the system of those individuals who died of a drug overdose.

“While xylazine is a great concern to public health, this particular drug was not found to be the cause of any overdose deaths in 2024,” Yocum said.

Yocum noted several factors for fewer OD deaths in Lebanon County in 2024.

“Fewer overdose deaths may very well correlate to education; the expansion of naloxone distribution; use of suboxone and methadone; and decreasing the barriers to getting help for opiate use disorder,” he said.

James Donmoyer, director of the Lebanon County Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, cited similar reasons as Yocum. 

Donmoyer said the work of the county’s local heroin task force, the distribution of 1,000 Narcan kits each of the past three years, and a methadone clinic in Lebanon County all had a positive impact.   

“We’re ecstatic,” he said. “I mean, I always make the statement that one is too many, but when you go from 31 to 21, that’s a substantial decrease.” 

LebTown asked Donmoyer about the rise in inhalant overdose deaths, also known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome, which had two cases listed in the 2024 report. 

“I haven’t seen that in previous years, so I can’t say that’s a trend,” he said. “People who have addiction issues have a drug of choice. Sometimes they have to face not getting their drug of choice and so the result is getting something else.” 

One trend ticking upward as a drug of choice of Lebanon County residents is the use of methamphetamine, according to Donmoyer. 

“Prevalent the past five years is that fentanyl has been involved in deaths,” he said, adding 10 of the 21 deaths involved an opiate. “But we’re also seeing an uptick in methamphetamine. Alcohol and marijuana are still the most commonly abused drugs.”

2025 statistics

Donmoyer said he hopes the number of OD deaths continues to go down, adding that the first quarter of 2025 is showing some promise.

“This year for the months of January, February, and March, there were three people who are on the list,” he said. “If that pans out for the year, we would have 12, which would be exceptionally good. It’s only the first three months, so we can’t start talking about trends. But so far, so good.”

Of the three to die of an overdose in 2025, Donmoyer said they were older adults – 56, 62, and 72.

While the first quarter numbers in 2025 are looking promising in the number of OD deaths, that’s not the case for suicide. Leahy said there have been seven suicides in the first quarter of the year.

“When we look at the method, three of the seven are by asphyxiation due to hanging and three were from gunshot wounds,” she said. “The other was a drug overdose from someone who was diabetic and took his life by ingesting a large amount of insulin.”