Lincoln County Coroner Valerie Caylor highlights efforts of Death Review Committee

LINCOLN COUNTY – Lincoln County Coroner Valerie Caylor is highlighting a local committee’s efforts to reduce the number of accidental deaths in the county.

A release from the Caylor’s office said the Lincoln County Death Review Committee had been dormant for years before Caylor took office. The committee began meeting again in 2023.

The release said stakeholders of the committee includes representatives from local school districts and law enforcement, as well as healthcare and social services professionals.

“When the group began meeting, they identified one of the leading causes of accidental deaths in Lincoln County was from falls,” the release stated. “These cases usually involved mildly healthy adults who suffered a serious fracture or brain trauma from a fall that led to their deaths.”

The committee set goals with local healthcare providers for education on fall prevention at homes and in care facilities, according to the release.

“The providers now use these goals to provide better education to their clients as to the severe health risks falls can cause,” the release stated.

The release noted that the committee was also able help Merrill Area Public Schools and local law enforcement teach students wilderness survival skills and the “need for being honest with law enforcement when it comes to life safety issues and investigations.”

“A co-sleeping death in Lincoln County in 2024 also prompted education initiatives from local birthing centers, Lincoln County Social Services and the Children's Health Alliance on the dangers of co-sleeping and proper breast-feeding,” the release said.

"Our group is working hard to study trends and use our resources to stop these preventable deaths from happening,” Caylor stated. “I am very proud of their work, and I hope it continues to make Lincoln County a safer and healthier community in which to live.”