The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office investigated 50% more Maricopa deaths in 2024 compared to the previous year.  

PCMEO investigated 51 of the 78 Maricopa deaths reported to its office in 2024, compared to 34 of 56 deaths the previous year, according to the office’s annual report released this month. 

The increase could be attributed to the city’s rising population, which now tops 75,000 by most estimates. However, the population grew less than 5% from 2023 to 2024. The medical examiner did not speculate on the increase. 

The office does not invoke jurisdiction on every death reported to it or that occurs in the county. Deaths have to meet certain criteria for an investigation to take place, said Operations Division Manager Andre Davis.  

“I think the general public has a conceptualization of what our office does … that [bodies] automatically come to the medical examiner’s office, and we do an autopsy for anyone and everyone who dies. That’s not the case,” Davis told InMaricopa.  

Arizona law requires the medical examiner to get involved when a death is sudden, violent, suspicious, unexplained or accidental. This begins with law enforcement, a medical center or hospice notifying PCMEO of a death. 

“Our investigators are the ones that are making that determination,” Davis said. “If so, they will perform a scene investigation that includes interviewing the witnesses, photo documenting the scene itself. They will also do a non-invasive examination of the body on scene to mark any evidence of any trauma, any injuries, any medical intervention, whatever the case may be.” 

Despite being the most populous city in the county (for now, at least), Maricopa saw the third highest number of deaths investigated by PCMEO. Casa Grande (population 64,000) had the highest number with 95 death investigations, followed by Apache Junction (population 41,000) with 86 investigations.  

Of the 624 deaths investigated by PCMEO last year, fewer than half (43% or 271 deaths) were determined to be accidental. 

The top unnatural causes of death were: 

• 105 drug-related (60% meth, 40% fentanyl. These deaths are on the rise again after a downturn during the pandemic years.) 

• 98 suicides (2 in 3 used a firearm, 9 in 10 were male) 

• 84 motor vehicle collision (65% of decedents weren’t wearing a seatbelt, up from 50% the previous year)

• 35 heat-related (the deadliest year in history) 

• 23 homicides (4 in 5 were male)