( Butler County, Ohio ) - Accidental drug overdose deaths are still on the rise locally.
On Tuesday, Butler County Coroner Dr Lisa Mannix released a mortality report for 2017.
Among a total of 800 coroner calls that year, Dr Mannix determined that there were 232 drug overdose deaths. That's a nearly 21% increase from 2016's fatal overdose total. The coroner says that's in keeping with the upward trend that started in 2012. More than 80% of those overdose deaths involved the powerful painkiller, fentanyl.
The coroner also says there was a four-fold increase in methamphetamine found in all overdoses, in particular those who also tested positive for fentanyl.
Dr Mannix says the number of other types of death in Butler County remained stable.