Several Wyoming counties are sounding the alarm over an unexplained rise in “unnatural deaths.” As the death toll continues to climb, authorities are searching for answers.
A chilling report has warned that suicides, accidents, overdoses and murders have gone “through the roof” and are on course to make this year one of the worst on record. Cowboy State Daily reported.
Natrona County Coroner Jim Whipps told county commissioners: “This has been an abnormal year, a bit of a roller coaster ride when it comes to unnatural deaths.”
“Unnatural death in all forms is through the roof. I don’t know why, but murders, suicides, overdoses… they’re way above what would be average for us,” he added.
The statistics show a disturbing picture: this year, twenty suicides have already been recorded, five of which took place in August alone.
A Wyoming county is struggling with a surge in ‘unnatural deaths,’ leaving officials scrambling for answers as the death toll continues to climb
Natrona County Coroner Jim Whipps told county commissioners: “This has been an abnormal year, a bit of a roller coaster ride when it comes to unnatural deaths.”
There have been five homicides so far this year, compared to just three in all of 2023, the Cowboy State Daily reported.
In addition, 36 people died from accidents and incidents in the workplace. The number of deaths from drug overdoses is also higher than in 2023.
But perhaps most alarming is what Whipps calls one of the biggest “shocking” events of the year: a rise in the number of young people in their 20s and 30s dying from “chronic alcoholism”.
The region is also plagued by youth violence, with several high-profile murders making headlines across the state.
In June, 15-year-old Eavan Castaner was charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Lenea Brown, who was shot in the head in a quiet southwest Casper neighborhood.
In Casper itself, Robert “Bobby” Maher, 14, was stabbed to death on April 7 after defending his girlfriend from two teenagers in a shopping mall.
The county has also been hit by youth violence, with several high-profile murders making headlines across the state. Pictured: Relatives pay tribute to Robert ‘Bobby’ Maher, 14, who was stabbed to death
In June, 15-year-old Eavan Castaner was charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Lenea Brown, who was shot in the head in a quiet southwest Casper neighborhood
In July, three members of the gospel group The Nelons were tragically killed in a plane crash. The group consists of Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly’s daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Streetman.
Kelly, Jason and Amber were among those killed in the crash, along with Amber’s husband Nathan Kistler and three friends. They were en route to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise when the plane crashed over a remote area of northeastern Wyoming.
Whipps did not provide an exact cause for the deadly increase, but warned that Natrona County is “statistically on track to have another record-breaking 2020-2021,” referring to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the crisis is not limited to Natrona County.
In nearby Campbell County, Coroner Paul Wallem reported a disturbing 36 percent increase in unnatural deaths, compared to 33.3 percent in 2023.
Also in July, three members of the gospel group The Nelons were tragically killed in a plane crash. They were en route to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise when the plane went down over a remote area in northeastern Wyoming. (Pictured: The Nelons, left to right, Jason Clark, Autumn Nelon Streetman, Kelly Nelon Clark and Amber Nelon Kistler)
In nearby Campbell County, Coroner Paul Wallem (pictured) reported a disturbing 36 percent increase in unnatural deaths, compared to 33.3 percent in 2023.
According to him, there have been 31 unnatural deaths so far this year.
“Earlier this year, we saw a dramatic increase in car accidents that I haven’t seen in probably seven to 10 years,” he told the outlet. “That’s kind of normalized recently.”
Not everyone agrees, though: Park County Coroner Cody Gortmaker reported no unusual spikes in his tourist region.
Some city officials said other Wyoming counties are not experiencing the same deadly trend.
Carbon County Coroner Brittany Nyman reported that the number of unnatural deaths has actually decreased.
“We haven’t had any overdoses this year. It’s a little quieter for us this year,” she said.
Whipps raised similar concerns in a recent documentary focusing on the region’s disproportionate suicide rate,
Wyoming, which for years had the highest suicide rate of any state, is part of the “suicide belt” that stretches across the mountainous region from the tip of Montana to New Mexico.
Whipps said in the 2023 film, “There’s more exploration of what’s going on here, from the altitude to the wind to the cowboy mentality that’s been around since the state was founded.
‘And nothing has come of it. There must be something that is different in the way we think and formulate conclusions than much of the rest of the world, and I just don’t know what that is.
“That’s probably one of the most frustrating things, because you can’t generalize it,”
Whipps continued: “Every case I take on is unique.”
His claims are supported by publicly available statistics, but it is not known how he arrived at the conclusion that Natrona has the fourth highest suicide rate in the world.
According to the coroner’s office, there were 28 suicides in the county in 2019. In 2020, there were 19, a 33 percent decrease. The average from 2012 to 2019 was nearly 24.
In nearby Campbell County, there has been a disturbing 36 percent increase in unnatural deaths, compared to 33.3 percent in 2023
Casper and the surrounding region have now become a hot spot, Whipps said. Suicides have also been seen in the neighboring cities of Mills and Evansville, where life is decidedly slow.
Robert “Bobby” Maher, 14, was stabbed to death on April 7 after defending his girlfriend from two teenagers at a mall in Casper, Wyoming (Pictured: The memorial for Bobby Maher at Eastridge Mall, where the teen was stabbed to death in Casper, WY)
Some blame Wyoming’s high suicide rate on its limited landscape and lack of suicide prevention programs.
For the first time since 2017, Wyoming fell from the top spot in the nation for suicides last year, but has since regained Montana’s dubious position.
According to the Department of Health, the state’s suicide rate currently stands at 32.3 percent of all deaths, with 155 suicides last year.
That’s down from 190 the year before, but Casper and the surrounding region have now become a hot spot, Whipps said. Suicides have also been seen in the neighboring cities of Mills and Evansville, where life is decidedly slow.
“It’s time for a top-down approach through policy and the implementation of school-based programs like Sources of Strength, a broader and proven resilience program,” Whipps said.