Monterey County Coroner’s Office sees increase in cases

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County Coroner's Office has seen a spike in cases, according to the Sheriff's Office, and that has left staff putting in a lot of extra hours.

According to officials, there were 1,410 coroner's cases in 2020, a 28% increase from the previous year. COVID-19 is attributed as the reason for 232 of the additional cases, but 175 additional cases were not related to COVID-19.

The Sheriff's Office said the Coroner's Office has been looking for additional storage options for several months. On Monday, the Coroner's Office announced that it got a 53-foot refrigeration trailer to provide additional morgue capacity from the California Office of Emergency Services. The portable morgue is free for 90 days, but the Sheriff's Office says they are "playing the long game."