The Adams County coroner's office has already used its autopsy budget for the year because it's conducting more of the procedures.

It's difficult to project the amount of autopsies that need to be performed each year, but the budget typically anticipates 30 to 40, Coroner Jim Keller told The Quincy Herald-Whig. A routine autopsy costs between $1,300 and $1,400, he said.

The office's total budget is around $123,000. More than $40,000 has been budgeted for autopsies the past two years.

This autopsy budget for the fiscal year ending on Nov. 30 was used in August, Keller said, so the office will likely seek additional money from the county for additional autopsy expenses. The office has already conducted 36 autopsies this year.

More than $53,000 was spent on 49 autopsies in 2013, exceeding the department's budget.

Coroners have been conducting more autopsies throughout the state due to an increase of sudden cardiac deaths that may be related to prior drug use, according to Keller.

Although there have been fewer deaths in Adams County overall, Keller said circumstances surrounding the deaths warranted additional examination. Autopsies are required for homicides, sudden deaths and deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents or fires.

Adams County Courthouse - Quincy, Illinois
Kurt Parsons
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