Dave Baumeister | County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – There was little regular business in an almost two-hour meeting this week, but the Minnehaha County Commission did hear five different briefings from agencies they work with.
However, the most interesting information came from Dr. Kenneth Snell, the Minnehaha County Coroner, when he went over a variety of numbers in his 2020 report.
One number, although small, was by far the most problematic and perplexing for commissioners, and that was the number of infants that had died in the county.
Snell reported that in 2020, nine infant deaths were reported to his office, and all of those were sleep-related.
In the report he presented, he explained eight of the infants had been sharing a bed with parents and the other sleeping alone.
While four of the deaths were from undetermined causes (usually referred to as SIDS), three of the four were bed-sharing, which is very dangerous for infants.
Four others died from what he called “positional asphyxia.”
Although Snell didn’t say any of the deaths were specifically related to this, he used the example of people letting babies sleep in “jumpers,” especially without being properly strapped in.
This can lead to the “positional asphyxia.”
But the most heartbreaking case he reported was how one infant had been smothered after falling asleep against the mother’s chest.
Statewide in South Dakota, Snell said that over 80% of all infant deaths dealt with an unsafe sleep environment.
He and the commissioners discussed that while hospitals teach about these dangers, there is not always the needed follow-up out in the community to re-affirm proper infant sleep habits.
Apart from infant deaths, Snell reported on overall cases his office had seen.
In 2020, there were 903 deaths reported to the Minnehaha Coroner’s office. This number was up over 53% from 2019.
Cases are reported anytime there is an unattended or suspicious death.
The coroner then looks at all of those cases to decide which ones he feels may not be natural. If they are in any way suspicious, the case is reviewed, if not, the office will decline to review them.
During last year, the office investigated 515 of those cases and declined 388 others.
Full autopsies were only done on 108 cases, according to Snell.
Of the suspicious deaths, the top five causes were gunshot wounds, 27; drugs, 25; traffic, 22; alcohol-related, 17; and hanging, 12.
Of the 2020 investigated cases, it was determined that 46% were natural causes, 40% accidents, 9% suicide, 3% homicide, and 2% “undetermined.”
Overall, Snell said that cases were way down in all categories from 2019, except for traffic accident deaths, where an increase was seen.
Meeting numbers
Under new business, commissioners discussed how the first quarter schedule had gone with no meetings on the second and fifth Tuesdays, as they wanted to determine if they should continue with the same schedule.
Everyone said there were “pro’s and con’s” to this practice, but they didn’t take any action at this time, hoping that they would hear more comments from others over the next weeks.
Commission chairperson Dean Karsky did want to put this matter on the agenda before the end of the month.
People can always see a commission agenda when it is posted after 5 p.m. on Fridays prior to a meeting at the county’s meeting web page at www.minnehahacounty.org/commission/meetingInfo/meetingInfo.php.
Because next week is the second Tuesday, there will be no commission meeting, and the next one will be on Tuesday, March 16, at 9 a.m. in the commission meeting room on the second floor of the Minnehaha County Administration building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
Input from the public is always welcomed and encouraged.