Monroe County is on pace for about the same number of overdose deaths as last year, continuing a downward trend from a post-COVID spike.

Nineteen people have died of drug-related causes in Monroe County in 2026. Last year, 41 people died of overdoses, compared to 56 in 2024.

According to data from the Indiana Department of Health, yearly drug-related deaths in Monroe County stayed steady around the mid-twenties from 2016 to 2019 but jumped to 50-60 deaths a year following 2020.

Monroe County Coroner Jeff Hall said the pandemic had a big impact on people’s use of potentially lethal substances.

“A lot of people were either laid off or were working from home,” Hall said. “Essentially social life in general just kind of shut down, and so I think a lot of people turned to substance use or substance abuse just to pass the time.”

Hall said while deaths this year appear to be on track with last year, overdose rates can change quickly.

“The motto that I come up with, or essentially practice with in the coroner's office, is you can't predict death,” Hall said.

Hall said that incidents like the suspected overdoses of five men at Kilroy’s Sports Bar earlier this month show how deaths can happen in clusters when people take laced drugs.

“There were five potential negative outcomes that could have come from that incident, but fortunately, there were zero, which was great,” Hall said.

Opioid overdoses cause most drug-related deaths in Monroe County, followed by lethal combinations of prescription medications.