Suicide numbers in Sheridan high so far in 2025
SHERIDAN — The number of suicides in Sheridan County this year have increased significantly compared to last year, Sheridan County Deputy Coroner Melissa Reimers said.
As of Tuesday, eight suicides have been reported in Sheridan County so far in 2025. In comparison, only two suicides were reported at this time last year and 12 were reported for all of 2024, Reimers said.
The increase could be due to economic factors and an increase in life stressors, Sheridan County Coroner Robert Byrd said.
Most of the victims this year have been middle-aged individuals, Reimers added.
Local and statewide resources are available for individuals who may be contemplating suicide.
The Wyoming Department of Health and its partners have been working to make improvements to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline system, which is a national network of crisis centers that provide support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The free and confidential 988 line can be reached every day, all day by phone, text or online chat.
Earlier this year, Cathedral Home in Laramie launched a statewide text line giving all Wyoming residents free, 24/7 text-based mental health support and crisis intervention.
The WYO Text Line, which is operated in partnership with Cathedral Home and the nationwide nonprofit Crisis Text Line, improves access to mental health care throughout Wyoming, especially for residents of rural communities or those concerned with the stigma associated with seeking help, according to Cathedral Home Communications Specialist Caroline Elik.
The WYO Text Line is staffed by Crisis Text Line volunteers from all around the U.S. and serves as a complement to services like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Elik said. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline system is a separate national network of crisis centers that provide support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
One of the improvements the Wyoming Department of Health has made to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline System (which is seperate from the WYO Text Line) is when people call, they are connected with a local in-state person.
Before, callers may have been connected with anyone across the country.
Two in-state call centers are located in Greybull and Casper.
“Having the two local call centers in Wyoming has been transformative because we now have people on the phone answering those calls who are from Wyoming and know Wyoming resources and have the availability to help connect people better than we ever had in the past,” Sheridan County Community Prevention Manager Ann Perkins said November 2024.
The hotline has been receiving positive feedback, Perkins added.
“If you look at the volume of calls that those call centers take, they have increased every year since they have been Wyoming specific. So that’s a positive sign,” Perkins said.
Currently, calls to 988 are routed to the closest crisis center based upon the area code of the phone used.
“We believe it’s a benefit for most Wyoming callers to be connected to a Wyoming-based call center, with staff who may be more relatable,” Crisis/988 Program Manager Alicia Johnson said Sept. 5, 2024. “Many partners worked together to ensure this localized resource was available within our state over the last several years. While the heavy majority of Wyoming calls are answered by a Wyoming-based center, being part of a national network offers backup for those rare times when the local center isn’t available.”
The Wyoming Department of Health has created a 2024-2028 suicide prevention plan that can be found at
health.wyo.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/FINAL-State-Suicide-Prevention-Plan.pdf
This story was published on May 28, 2025.
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