Jasper County Coroner's Office expands operations

CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Jasper County Coroner's Office is expanding in 2025 — trying to keep up with the growing number of deaths in the county.

"24 hours a day. 365, a year," said James Harrison, Jasper Co. coroner.

Serving as the Jasper County coroner is not a nine-to-five job.

"One call could last two hours. One call can last six hours, whether after you know or an autopsy or do an investigation," said Harrison.

All part of the job for James Harrison. He was first elected as county coroner in November, after serving as the appointed coroner for several months.

"What falls under mine are homicides, suicides, unintended deaths, any suspicious death, anybody that's out of the hospital," said Harrison.

He estimates that was around 1,200 deaths in 2024.

It's a caseload that prompted the county commission to move the part-time job to full-time, adding extra deputy coroners to help keep up.

Harrison points to fentanyl overdoses in many cases. It's something he wants to see change.

"It's a big problem. But I do — on a local level I see how fentanyl is. You know, fentanyl is not made in the United States. So I see the destruction when a parent has to come and identify their 16-year-old child," said Harrison.

Harrison adds that transparency in operations is a top priority — and that he's working on written policies and procedures to formalize how he and his deputies do the job.