Deaths on the rise across Grays Harbor

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 16, 2026

As of May 31, there have been 347 deaths reported to the Grays Harbor County Coroner’s office this year.

During the month of May 2026, there were 82 deaths reported. This total is more than 2025 (75), more than 2024 (55), more than 2023 (62), more than 2022 (78), and more than 2021 (66).

Seventy-two deaths were reported as natural causes. These deaths included cardiac issues, cancers, infections, gastrointestinal diseases and pulmonary issues. Doctors will usually sign the death certificates for these cases if the decedent has established care. If the person did not have a primary care provider however, the Coroner’s Office will investigate these cases to determine the cause and manner of the death.

There were 10 non-natural deaths reported for the month. One by firearm, three suspected by drugs, one by motor vehicle accident, and five pending additional investigation.

Grays Harbor dropped to fifth in the state per capita for overdose deaths from April 1, 2025, to April 30, 2026. Overdose deaths for that period is 41.4 per 100,000. Overdose deaths in the state continue to drop, with a decrease of 139 cases statewide. Methamphetamine and fentanyl are still the prevalent substances. Methamphetamine has been seen in approximately 34% of cases, fentanyl has been seen in about 41% of cases, and cocaine has been seen in about 10% of the cases. These three are the top substances.

Investigators conducted 31 scene investigations for the month, with a total of 118 for the year. Time on-scene varied from as little as two hours, to sometimes well over eight hours. In addition, many hours are spent on follow-up to many of these cases, both natural and non-natural cases. This may include attending autopsies, and following up with families, medical personnel and law enforcement.

The Grays Harbor County Coroner’s Office also partnered with multiple agencies including the Aberdeen Police Department, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office, and the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response this past month on a high profile case. All Grays Harbor County investigators were involved in the investigation.

There were nine post-mortem examinations conducted during the month.

May 4 through May 6, Chief Deputy Coroner Ryan Meister, Investigator Hannah Friberg and Coroner George Kelley attended a conference in Spokane. This is a yearly conference that includes advanced training and networking opportunities with coroners and medical examiners from around the state of Washington. This year’s theme was line-of-duty deaths, in-custody deaths, first-responder wellness and therapy dogs.

During the conference, Washington Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (WACME) appointed Kelley to the position of interim president when the current president, Hayley Thompson, steps down later this year upon her relocation.

“I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to representing Grays Harbor and all the coroners, medical examiners, and death Investigators as we move forward in improving response and investigations,” Kelley said. “In addition, the chief deputy coroner has applied for the executive assistant position for WACME in addition to her duties here and is awaiting an interview.”