After a suicide
Suicide cleanup in Indio
We are sorry you are here. You don't have to clean this, and you don't have to look at it again. When you feel able to, call, and you will be put in touch with an independent company that does this work in Indio quietly and with care.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What happens first
Police come, and so does a deputy coroner; in California every death known or suspected to be a suicide is looked into by the coroner. They will ask questions that are hard to hear on a day like this. The questions are routine. They are not an accusation.
Your relative is taken into the coroner's care. As they leave, the officers tell you the home is released. From then on, what remains in the room is the family's or the owner's to deal with, and that is the part nobody warns you about.
It does not have to be you. Close the door. Spend tonight with someone if you can.
What the company does, and what you can ask of it
A cleanup company removes everything that carries blood, including what has gone into flooring, furniture or walls. It cleans and disinfects the room and takes the waste away in sealed containers. Where a firearm was involved, the workers check the walls, the ceiling and the next room as well.
Tell them what you want kept. A note, a watch, a phone, photographs: ask for these to be set aside and handed to you. Tell them, too, whether you want the room left bare or put back as near as possible to how it was.
You need not be in the house while they work. You can hand over a key and come back when it is finished.
Paying for it
The owner of the home pays, or the estate does. Homeowner and renter policies sometimes respond to this kind of loss. Policies differ, so put the question to your agent or insurer directly.
California's victim compensation program exists for victims of crime. If you are unsure whether your situation counts, CalVCB's own helpline is 800-777-9229. The who pays page has the rest.
Things people ask
Must I describe it on the phone?
Only a little. Which room, roughly when, and whether the police have finished is enough. You can stop whenever you need to.
Can a friend make the call for me?
Yes. Anyone can make the first call. Before work starts, the company will need the owner, or whoever is acting for the estate, to approve it.
How soon does it have to be done?
Once the home is released, sooner is easier on the house, because fluids keep sinking in. A day to gather yourself changes little, though. Do it when you can.
Ready when the home has been handed back
There is no rush to phone tonight. Once police or the coroner have released the property, a single call reaches a cleanup company that works in Indio and the neighboring desert cities.
One number, any hour
Describe the room or the vehicle in your own words. An independent cleanup company takes it from there, and hiring it stays your choice.
Call (760) 289-3572Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded. Read the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.