Elk County Coroner Michelle A. Muccio shared an overview of her work in 2020, which included nearly 300 death investigations, along with volunteer work for community organizations.

Altogether, Muccio said she investigated 294 cases last year.

Among the cases were 18 accidental deaths — nine elderly people who fell, two motor vehicle accident fatalities, one fire death, one asphyxiation and five drug overdoses. She noted the overdose deaths were attributed to the following: one with gabapentin — which has uses such as seizures and nerve pain, one with heroin and fentanyl, one with combined drugs and two with fentanyl.

There were seven suicide investigations. Muccio attributed four of those to firearms, two to hanging and one as an intentional overdose.

The cause of one death is still pending, and the cause in three more cases are listed as undetermined. She attributed 61 deaths to natural causes.

“The Office also authorized 154 cremations and reviewed 50 nursing home deaths,” said Muccio.

Muccio also talked about the Cribs for Kids program, which she introduced to the county in 2019. In 2020, the program “delivered cribs to 6 families in need of a safe sleep space for their child.”

Also in 2020, the Elk County Elder Justice Coalition met four times before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. She said the group will begin meeting again when it is safe to do so.

The Elk County Elder Justice Coalition “is intended to bring education and awareness to the community about issues that affect our seniors, such as abuse, scams, or where resources can be found for various issues,” Muccio explained.