One hundred thirty-five people died homeless in Washoe County in 2023, according to preliminary data from the Washoe County Medical Examiner. It’s a 36% increase compared to 2022, when 99 homeless died. Of the 135 deaths, 69 were tied to drug intoxication.
Operations Manager Justin Norton told 2 News Tuesday morning that some of the deaths are still under investigation, but the numbers are not expected to change significantly once cases are closed.
The vast majority of Washoe County people who died homeless last year were men, 102 compared to 33 women.
Most died of accidents, such as drug intoxication, car crashes or train accidents, and a few were cases of hypothermia, falling, or drowning.
Almost 20 homeless people died of natural causes, and almost 10 were homicides.
