Working at ABT, I often get a glimpse behind the curtain at the darkest facets of humanity
We are a curious species, capable of beautiful acts of love on one hand, and on the other, we can be unimaginably cruel and wicked. Never is this part of the human condition more apparent than when I am called upon to cleanup the aftermath of a homicide.
One of the most recent cases I took on also happened to be one of the most heinous I’ve handled to date.
One man’s desire for freedom and money would end with the deaths of two innocent people… and would leave two families searching for answers.
It can be a shock to a family coping with the unexpected death of a loved one, particularly in the wake of a gruesome murder, to learn that they are now responsible for cleaning up the terrible evidence of the tragedy that is left behind once the police have finished their investigation. Luckily in this case, a police officer put a member of the family in touch with us.
The home was located in a very wealthy neighborhood in the suburbs surrounding Baltimore, Maryland. Pulling down the long brick driveway, the only tell tale sign of the horror that awaited inside, was the yellow crime scene tape that peeked out from a silver trash can hidden behind a row of carefully manicured hedges.
We were met at the front door by the brother of the female victim. I find that before we begin the clean-up process it is helpful, not only for our goals but also as tool for coping with the grief felt by the family members who remain behind, to discuss what has happened at the crime scene.
As we were led inside the home, I listened to a horrific tale: the man’s sister had appeared to have a charmed life. She had married a very successful dentist, whom she had borne two beautiful sons, and the couple had enjoyed a very comfortable life complete with a gorgeous home and luxury vacations. But there was trouble brewing in paradise. Unbeknownst to her, her perfect husband had been seeing a young receptionist at his practice and wanted out of his marriage.
A Surprising Ending Nevertheless
Rather than leave his wife, however, and, in his mind, potentially losing half of his wealth and custody of his children, he devised a plan to get away with murder. He hired a day laborer early one morning under the guise of needing work done around his home, then waiting for the right moment, stabbed his wife to death with a screwdriver before calling 911 to report that he had shot and killed an intruder who had broken in to kill his wife. Then, he turned his antique revolver on the day laborer, killing him in the home’s foyer in an attempt to make it look legit. The only problem in his plan… the day laborer didn’t die immediately and had time to tell the doctors who tried to save his life what had really happened that day inside the home.
The blood inside the home gave witness to the terrible events of that day and it had soaked through the flooring to the sub flooring below in many places. Blood splatter had been flung all over the walls in one room from the violence of the stabbing and the dry wall had to be carefully examined to make sure nothing was missed. It took three days to completely restore the home to the condition it had been in before the tragedy. It was so important to me that we do our best to erase all traces of the homicides from the home because of the young boys who had lost their mother, and father, that fateful day. They deserved the chance to be able to move forward with a fresh start without having any reminders of what had happened.
Family trying to deal with the loss of a loved one should not have to handle crime scene cleanup on their own. That’s why it’s important to hire a professional scene cleaning company such as Advanced BioTreatment with the training and experience to work with First Responders. Whether the scene is at your home and personal property, a commercial business, or industrial site, we’ll strictly adhere to OSHA regulations and API Worksafe guidelines in our cleanup efforts and only deploy EPA registered hospital grade cleansers and disinfectants. You need professional scene clean-up technicians to be sure that your home is truly clean. Your safety is our business.
Our crimes scene cleaning technicians work swiftly and thoroughly to clean, disinfect, and decontaminate all areas and equipment that have been affected by the incident. After an tragedy Advanced Bio Treatment is ready to help you move forward and get up and running as soon as possible.
If you need trauma or accidental death clean-up guidance, have questions about your payment options or current insurance policy covers don’t hesitate to give Advanced Bio Treatment a call at: 800-295-1684
