BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The Berkeley County Coroner’s Office released its 2024 annual report Monday, highlighting the many types of death investigations the agency handled last year.
Out of the 1,944 deaths reported to the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office in 2024, 1,201 were classified as natural, 134 were accidental, 38 were suicide, 20 were homicide, and seven were undetermined.
2024 Accidental Deaths
Berkeley County had 134 accidental deaths in 2024. There were 54 drug-related deaths (41%), 38 motor vehicle accidents (28.4%), 5 burns (3.7%), 29 falls (20.9%), 3 drownings (2.2%), 3 asphyxias (2.2%), and 2 deaths categorized as “other.”
2024 Homicide Deaths
In 2024, there were 20 deaths classified as homicide in Berkeley County. Nineteen were attributed to gun violence, and one was due to blunt force trauma. This is an 11% increase from 2023, according to Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell.
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2024 Suicide Statistics
In Berkeley County, there were 38 deaths by suicide. This number remained unchanged from the prior year. “This is the same number as in 2023, so there was no increase or decrease,” the coroner’s office said. The following graph shows suicides by age:
2024 Child Fatalities
There were 44 child/infant (ages 0-17) fatalities investigated in 2024. Nearly half of those were attributed to “fetal demise.” The following chart breaks down the other causes of death:
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Last year, the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office responded to 3,124 requests for services plus death investigations. This number does not include requests from other agencies, family, or outside reports. It also excludes additional meetings with families to release personal belongings.
