At Advanced Bio Treatment we see it all from murder to suicide and everything in between.
One part about my job that I think those new to this field really struggle with at first, is seeing not only the terrible things that people do to their fellow humans, but also all the trivial reasons that those violent crimes are committed. Life should be valued above all other commodities… But unfortunately, it isn’t.
Very recently, ABT was called out to a residence in an apartment community that was located in a working class neighborhood just outside of Oakland, CA.
The caller identified himself as the rental owner, and explained that he had been put into contact with our crime scene cleanup company through a sympathetic detective who had been assigned to investigate a double homicide that had occurred within the property.
When we arrived at the small apartment that was situated just up a short hill, across from an old car wash. Police and crime scene investigators were still finishing up their work, as we waited to get inside to begin our own tasks, we took the opportunity to speak with an officer about what had taken place at the home.
Like so many cases we handle, this one had apparently involved drugs and money.
The sheriff’s deputy explained that it appeared as though the young man who had lived in the residence had either been selling prescriptions narcotics or had been a well known user, either way, at about 2:00 am that morning, things went terribly wrong for the 29 year old father of three.
According to the victim’s girlfriend, the couple had been woken up in the very early hours by a knock on their front door. Staying in bed, she listened to her partner get up and head down their stairs to answer the door. Still upstairs, she reported that she had heard the unmistakable voice of an older man the couple knew and that she could hear that he was basically begging the victim for a fix.
When it became clear that there was no chance that he would be getting anything from the young man, the older drug user snapped. Pulling out a knife, he lunged at the victim, swinging wildly with the blade.
The sound of the commotion brought the girlfriend to the top of the stairs where she watched in horror as her lover was stabbed repeatedly with the weapon as he struggled to free it from his attacker’s hands.
Finally, the older man tired and the victim gained the upper hand. With a quick snatch, the tables were turned!
Running on adrenaline alone, the young man eliminated the threat to his family with a well placed blow that slipped between the ribs of his attacker, severing his aorta and effectively ending his life there on the floor at the foot of the steps.
Tragically, paramedics who rushed to the scene found the victim alive, but mortally wounded and in route to a medical center, the young father had succumbed to his own injuries. He was survived by his three children, girlfriend, two siblings and grief stricken parents, and was being hailed a hero.
Once we were allowed to begin our cleanup, I felt much more personally invested in the case. Just knowing that the young family would have to remain in the residence for sometime due to financial constraints made my job that much more important. I wanted no trace of the tragic incident to remain behind to sully the futures of the victim’s that had been left behind with nothing but unanswered questions.
The scene was primarily contained to the front door area, just at the foot of the staircase. So much blood had been spilled that day that the carpet bubbled up like wet sand when it was stepped upon. In fact, there was so much blood, that you could smell the iron in the air… the metallic sickly smell always amazes me.
We had to begin our remediation there, starting first by carefully removing all of the carpet and padding so as not to cross contaminate any other areas of the apartment community.
Next, we began soaking up the enormous puddle of blood that had pooled on the sub flooring, meticulously sanitizing as we cleaned away the sticky, crimson liquid and properly disposing of the biological waste to ensure the safety of everyone involved. Blood, particularly that of IV drug users, can contain hundreds of deadly pathogens which can pose a significant risk to human health. That’s why it’s so important to call professionals like those at ABT who have training and experience in handling and eliminating these dangers.
Finally, all the blood had been removed and confirmed by special lighting. We began cleaning and decontamination of every other surface in the property, erasing any other signs that something heartbreaking had happened in the home.
As we were leaving, after we had handed the keys back over to the property manager, I caught sight of a picture of the victim’s three young children… a boy and two girls. My heart twisted for the young family and I wondered what would become of them. I left feeling like I had done all that I could to give them a brand new start. Some days, that’s all that I can hope for.
You don’t want to try and attempt to clean up a crime scene or accident scene. Blood and other bodily fluids can contain dangerous pathogens which pose a significant risk to human health.
Our scene cleanup technicians will decontaminate and remove any blood, tissue or bodily fluids a crime and trauma scene has left behind. Advanced Bio Treatment is a professional scene cleaning company.
Regardless of 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. We only deploy EPA registered hospital grade cleansers and disinfectants.