Alarming Numbers Shared by Coroner

by Randy Pierce

Madison County Coroner Nick Novacich has shared some information concerning his office’s work which indicated a drastic increase in the need for its services during the early part of January. 

In reporting to the Madison County Board Public Safety Committee, Novacich said that through only the first seven days of 2025, calls for service provided by his department totaled 64, 31 of which had to be investigated.

“Hopefully, this is not setting the trend for the year, but we’ve been busy for the first week,” Novacich told the committee members. 

When asked by the committee chairman, Terry Eaker of Bethalto, Novacich said there had been no incidents of mass casualties or anything specific that he could point to as factors in this situation, remarking, “It’s just been a bad week” about half of which consisted mostly of days prior to the severe winter weather that settled into the area. 

By comparison, in all of December, the coroner’s office responded to 237 calls of which 155 necessitated investigations, closing out 2024 with a total of 2513 and 1791, respectively, a slight increase from the previous year. 

Novacich added his desire that those first week of January totals aren’t “indicative of how the year’s going to play out.” 

The duties and responsibilities of the County Coroner are many and varied, but in essence can be described as the investigative arm of Madison County government concerning deaths of an unexpected, violent or criminal nature.

The office of coroner, by Illinois state statutes, is a law enforcement agency. The coroner is considered a conservator of the peace in his county and, in the performance of his duties as such, has the same powers as the sheriff.

The main functions of this office include:

• Respond to and investigate deaths that occur outside of hospital or clinical settings with such investigations including scene analysis, photography, sketching, witness interviews, body examination and the utilization of other forensic tests.
• Convene coroner’s inquests to determine cause and manner of deaths involving homicides, suicides and accidents including those determined to be natural and or unexplained and suspicious.
• Under mandate of law, investigate the death of any ward of the state of Illinois.
• Operate and maintain the Madison County Morgue for the purpose of conducting scientific and forensic post-mortem examination of human remains and for holding of unidentified/unclaimed human remains pending disposition.
• Maintain the property, monies and personal effects of decedents processed through the coroner’s office.
• Conduct public and community education programs regarding topics such as: drinking and driving, traffic safety, substance abuse and crime/death scene response.
• Training and maintaining a cadre of reserve, volunteer deputy coroners for the management of disaster or mass casualty events.
• Report to the state of Illinois all child deaths, boating fatalities, traffic fatalities and work-related fatalities.
• Service of legal process when the sheriff is party to a suit or when such process by the sheriff would be a conflict of interest.
• Enforcement of the Grave Robbery Act as promulgated by Illinois Historical Preservation Agency per state law.