DeKalb County Coroner's Office

04/23/2026

🐮📖 How does “Cow Takes a Bow?” relate to the Coroner’s Office? Good question.📖🐮

We meet people on their worst days. Sometimes the people we meet are children, children who largely do not grasp what terrible thing has happened, but nonetheless are affected by the terrible thing.

Providing kids with something to keep their minds off of the terrible thing is one small gesture we can make.

Thank you to the kind folks who donated books, coloring books and crayons for us to distribute on scenes. We appreciate you so much!

A huge thanks, too, to our wonderful friend Emily at the DeKalb County Department of Health for helping find and assemble such amazing resources.

It takes a village. 💚

04/18/2026

☔️🪻💐IT’S RAINING (AGAIN).💐🪻☔️

You’ve likely heard the old adage “April showers bring May flowers.” If this theory holds true, we should see a record amount of blooms next month. We’ve already seen record amounts of muddy dog paw prints on our just Swiffered floors as well as thunder enduced doggy terrors.

Lots of rain can also bring about high water road hazards.

If you come upon this situation, turn around; do not attempt to drive through high water. We are also asking you to take it a step further.

Please report high water road hazards to the DeKalb County Indiana Police/Fire/EMS Dispatch and Homeland Security non emergency line @ (260) 333-7911. They’ll know just who to call to get the situation assessed and signs placed as needed.

Call even if your road floods every year and you assume we already know. Call even if you think someone else has already called. Call even if you managed to get through the water in your undercover superhero amphibious vehicle.

☎️If signs aren’t up, CALL. ☎️

Please. A simple call could save a life.

04/13/2026

💛🖤THANK YOU! 🖤💛

Not just this week, but every single day, we are beyond thankful for our friends at Central Communications.

They are the hub of all information, the calm voice in the midst of a storm, the folks who call and wake us up at 2am. And they look good in headsets, so there’s that.

It takes an incredibly special person to be a dispatcher. You are AMAZING and we appreciate you so much!

Thank you for all you do! ❤️

04/02/2026

💚THANK YOU💚

Most of you will never know all that goes on behind the scenes in response to an emergency event; from the initial call to Central Communications, to scene response, and all that happens thereafter. You may see a story in the news, or exchanges about local tragedies on Nosey Neighbors, but you don’t really know.

The people we have the honor to work with have the best hearts; they show up for our community, no matter the time, no matter the weather, no matter what.

We all show up for each other. We all show up for you.

Thank you to all we have the honor to work with. Thanks for showing up. It takes a village and we have the best little village right here in DeKalb County. We are honored to work with the best of the best.

04/01/2026

Don Klotz spent his life serving the community, both as a volunteer firefighter and as a transport tech for our office.

Tonight Don performed his last act of selfless service here on earth; he became an organ donor.

Your work here is done, Don. Rest easy.

End of Watch 3/31/2026

03/15/2026

🫆🌤️☎️💻TEAMWORK💻☎️🌤️🫆

If we had a nickel for every time someone said “I couldn’t do your job,” we’d be outta here, chillaxin on an island with a big Diet Coke and a Frieda McFadden book.

The truth is, though, we couldn’t do our jobs without help from some of the most amazing people.

It all starts with a call from the hub of information, Central Communications. We appreciate the grace they give when we groggily ask what day it is and how to get where we’re supposed to be going. What town is that again?

From this first call on, we interact with a multitude of folks-medical providers, law enforcement, forensics, funeral homes, other coroner’s offices, and so many more.

Not long ago we needed specific weather information dating back months, and in less than 10 minutes, there is was, compliments of our friend and superhero Jason in Homeland Security.

We unequivocally could not do our jobs without the help of others. This is a team effort, and while it’s become a little cliche to say (hey, that rhymes!), teamwork really does make the dream work.

Our mission statement, in part, reads “We seek to find the truth in all matters.” Completing this mission is only possible through collaboration.

Thank you all! We are honored to work with THE BEST OF THE BEST! 💚

🌴☀️But we’ll still take your nickels; we’re saving up for a much needed tropical vacation. ☀️🌴

03/06/2026

Thank you for your selfless service. Rest easy.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and department brothers and sisters. 💔

It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of one of our own.
The members of the Ashley-Hudson Volunteer Fire Department are saddened to announce the loss of Engineer Thomas O’Quinn. Tom was a dedicated firefighter, a trusted engineer, and a valued member of our department family.
His commitment to serving our community and supporting his fellow firefighters will never be forgotten. We ask that you keep his family, friends, and our department in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Rest easy, Engineer O’Quinn. Your watch is complete.

02/12/2026

💚Collaboration, Camaraderie, and Cohero💚

Coroners’ offices throughout the state are transitioning to a new case management system-Cohero. This system is extremely thorough and will allow for better tracking of vital statistics and more.

I was not able to attend a recent training on system set up and use, so my friend Huntington Co. Coroner Phil Zahm took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with me and walk me through the steps. Later, he remained calm and extremely kind when I called and texted him repeatedly, and emailed him at 0200, when things had gone terribly awry.

Wonderful Olivia in our county IT pitched in to assist, as I teetered on the edge of a breakdown and my head was full of unspoken expletives, when the Cloudflare security codes were not coming through.

Once I figured it out, with A LOT of help from my friends, and the patience of my teammates (who I’d also called and texted repeatedly asking about codes and their log in attempts), I decided I’d help my friend Coroner Rodney Snyder in Steuben. Rodney would be the first to tell you that he’s not too tech savvy; it’s not been that long ago that he ditched his flip phone.

I helped Rodney because Rodney helps me all of the time in other ways; he reaches out to check on me after a hard case, he reaches out just to say “Hi, Friend.” He never fails to pick up a shift of call for us when we’re in a bind. Everything he does, he does with a smile and a positive attitude. He’s a great mentor and a great friend.

This is how we get things done, with teamwork, patience and kindness. And also, 4 extra large Diet Cokes and a Blizzard.

Teamwork makes the dream work and kindness always wins.

02/03/2026

⭐️2025 CORONER'S OFFICE SUMMARY⭐️

-Total cases for 2025: 136 (vs 104 in 2024, vs 96 in 2023, vs 88 in 2022)

-Natural Deaths for 2025: 107 (vs 71 in 2024, vs 71 in 2023, vs 72 in 2022)

-Suicides for 2025: 11 (vs 12 in 2024, vs 8 in 2023, vs 6 in 2022)

-Homicides for 2025: 1 (vs 2 in 2024, vs 2 in 2023, vs 3 in 2022)

-Accidental Deaths for 2025: 17 (vs 18 in 2024, vs 14 in 2023, vs 5 in 2022), including:

-5 unintentional drug overdoses (OD) (vs 8 in 2024, vs 3 in 2023, vs 2 in 2022)

-6 motor vehicle collision (MVC) fatalities (vs 9 in 2025, vs 5 in 2023, vs 1 in 2022)
**Alcohol a was a factor in two of these MVC fatalities**

-6 falls with injuries (all fractures apart from one traumatic brain injury) resulting in death; all were reported by extended care facilities apart from one home death (vs 1 fall at an extended care facility with resultant cervical fracture and subsequent death in 2024)

"Truth does not fear investigation. Truth has the strength to withstand scrutiny. Truth that cannot be scrutinized is not truth."
-Anonymous

Thank you for your continued support.

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02/02/2026

🐿️🛻IT’S GROUNDHOG DAY!🛻🐿️

Today’s the day! Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

Wouldn’t it would be an absolute dream come true to be there, at Gobbler’s K**b, this very day, wearing a groundhog head adorned hat and drinking hot cocoa, while waiting for the little guy’s prediction? Life goals. But alas, here we are in DeKalb County. It’s cold, it’s snowing, it’s cold (did we already say that?), the folks on Nosey Neighbors will again be exchanging hateful zingers (filled with gramatical errors and expletives) over poor parking choices and banana peels left on the sidewalk. It’s just another day here.

Wouldn’t it be nice, though, if we had the opportunity to do things over and over again until we got it right, like our main character did in “Groundhog Day” the movie?

Be kind to the Ned Ryersons of the world. Be kind to animals. Don’t drive too fast and end up at the bottom of a cliff. Don’t throw a banana peel on an already slick surface.

Let’s try our darndest be good humans today because, unlike the movie, we’ve got just one shot (feet fail me not) at this day, at this life. Don’t spend it focusing on negativity and arguing on social media about the Dollar Tree closing early.

And lastly, happy birthday to one of our very favorite detectives! You know who you are. 🎂

*Disclaimer: There are no groundhog emojis, this is a squirrel 🐿️.

01/27/2026

🖤💚WE HAVE OUR OWN WEEK! 💚🖤

Being a death investigator is hard; it’s taxing both physically and emotionally. We have a small department and as such, no one, including the coroner, has a full time role. We all work full time (plus) jobs in addition to our work with the coroner’s office. We are often up all night, doing things most could not fathom, come home, type up a lengthy report, shower and then head out to our other jobs, still caring for people, but in different ways.

I’ve certainly gained a different perspective in life over my many years with this office, first as a deputy, now as the coroner.

Perspective. Did I really have a bad day or instead, did I just help someone who’s lost a loved one through the worst day of their lives?
Yes, I was up all night, but I was not alone, I was surrounded by the best people, the best emergency responders anyone could ask for.

We must extend grace, not only to others, but to ourselves as well; no one truly knows the struggles one is facing.

In 2025 our office assisted in 136 death investigations; up from 104 the year prior. This equates to many sleepless nights, countless hard tasks and infinite heartbreaking situations. And yet, we show up, EVERY SINGLE TIME, for you, for our community, for each other.

Thank you to my teammates for doing a job most could never do, and for doing it with ethics, empathy and true servants’ hearts. I appreciate you beyond measure, this week and every single hour of every single day!

-Jennie 🩷