What To Do: Your Home Has Become a Suicide Crime Scene
When a death occurs in the home, it can be shocking and difficult to deal with, especially when it has been a suicide. If you feel overwhelmed, unprepared, or like you don’t know what to do next, that’s okay. You’re not alone. We’ve created a list of next steps to help you navigate this tough situation.
Your Home Has Become a Suicide Crime Scene: What to Do Next
- Call the police. When a suicide occurs, police need to be informed. They will have to treat the place of the suicide as a crime scene.
- Call a professional cleanup company. It is a common misconception, but after law enforcement officials have checked out a murder or suicide crime scene, they are not responsible for cleaning or removing the body. After they have left the scene, the body will still be there, along with any chemicals, dust, or remnants of the investigation the officials may have left. Your home is now not only dirty, but dangerous.
So, it is now essential that you call a professional clean up company like Aftermath to restore and disinfect contaminated areas. If you don’t, you leave yourself exposed to bloodborne pathogens and biohazards that carry harmful bacteria and diseases.
- Arrange for a place to stay. Aftermath will work quickly to return your place to a clean, livable space so that you can get back to your normal life. However, the process of properly cleaning your home may take some time. Make arrangements to stay with family or friends while the cleaning process occurs. This will keep you from having to be reminded of the scene, and will also prevent you from cross contaminating the rest of your home.
- Gather the proper documents. If the deceased was a loved one, you’ll want to get their affairs in order. This can be a complicated task, but don’t worry. We’ve created a list of documents you’ll need in order to move forward.
- Seek Grief Counseling. At Aftermath, we work with compassion and care to help those who have experienced a suicide begin the healing process. However, we recognize that after we have cleaned up your home or business, there will be residual feelings of hurt and confusion that may last for weeks or even months. Use a resource such as the Alliance of Hope or search online for a grief counselor near you.
We know that experiencing a suicide is a difficult thing, especially when the suicide crime scene occurs in your business or home. At Aftermath, we don’t just clean up the scene, we care for the grieving. If you’re in need of biohazard remediation or suicide cleanup services, we are on hand 24/7 to assist you. Call us for help.