When a family member or loved one has passed away unnoticed for a period of time, in a home or other property, it can be an extremely difficult experience on many levels. Who do you turn to when the unimaginable has happened, after the police have left, leaving you to find a way to restore the shattered pieces of your life?
No one ever talks about what happens when a death occurs at home, after the paramedics or coroner are through with a scene and it is often assumed, incorrectly, that these responders are the ones that clean up the mess that death leaves behind.
In the unfortunate event that you have found yourself in this terrible circumstance, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed or to retraumatize yourself by attempting to clean up a crime or accident scene yourself.
Besides being particularly hard for loved ones to see, these cleanups require an extensive level of cleaning that can be impossible for the untrained to accomplish without the proper equipment.
Not to mention the dangerous pathogens, often found in bodily fluids, drug paraphernalia or other biohazardous waste found at these sites, present their own unique challenges suitable to experts trained and certified in the field of crime scene cleanup, like those at Advanced Bio Treatment, who come prepared to clean, decontaminate, disinfect, deodorize, and return the home to its original state of cleanliness.
Advanced Bio Treatment understands that any time a friend or loved one dies, the loss can be a trying and emotional time. When the loved one was unattended at the time of death it only adds to the complication and trauma of the situation.
We specialize in unattended death cleanup scenes and we have equipment, specialized disinfectant cleaners, and advanced training in order to properly handle the severity of the site. Our technicians will show promptly on time, work quickly, thoroughly and with the utmost care and compassion for the friends and loved ones.
We understand how difficult this time can be. Let us make it a bit easier and give you the assurance you need that the job is done right.
Last year we received a call from a family just outside of Orlando, near the Tampa area, who had recently discovered that their loved one had passed away in their residence, unbeknownst to anyone for over two weeks.
Apparently, the family had been away on a month long European cruise. The caller, who identified himself as the uncle of the young victim in this case, explained that they had paid the victim a sum of $200 to house sit while they were away. The last time they had been able to reach the nephew by phone had been about half way through the trip, and they just assumed that since he was a young man, 21, that he must have been galavanting around and was too busy to pick up. However, as the day of their return drew near, and they were still unable to reach the victim to arrange transportation from the airport, they grew concerned so they called a neighbor who was to go next door to see if they could get ahold of the boy in person.
When the neighbor approached the front door, he noticed that there were nearly two weeks worth of papers and mail sticking out from the mailslot. Knocking, he waited several minutes but there was no answer. Finally, just as he was about to call it quits, he decided to make his way through the back yard to the sliding glass door around the back of the home. When he found that the glass door was open, he stepped inside and was immediately bowled over by the intense, pungent odor of death. Following the ungodly stench with his shirt over his nose, he discovered the boy face down between the bathroom and the bed, dead.
Looking over the scene inside the home, it was apparent to me that the cause of death was likely related to the small, black bag that contained a variety of utensils used in the cooking, preparation and consumption of heroin. From what I was told, they also found the young man with a needle stuck into the vein in his neck… the act of a desperate intravenous drug user who could no longer find a suitable vein in which to inject the toxic substance.
Blood and bodily fluid from his body beginning the process of decomposition, created a “chalk” outline of sorts on the floor which showed clearly where the young man had fallen. It looked as if he had gone to shoot up in the bathroom, but then realizing that he had given himself a fatal dose of the drug, had attempted to make it to the other room and perhaps help, but had collapsed and died only a few short steps from where he’d started off.
The floors, however, were not the hardest part. Even though they had been saturated with fluid, meaning that we had to strip the floor all the way down to the foundation to remove the contaminated materials and ensure everyone’s safety going forward, the floors were fairly straightforward. The carpet was tossed, and the wood and tile replaced, so you could never tell that anything tragic had occurred at all.
Except for the smell. Oh the smell. Anyone who has ever smelled death, will tell you that they will never mistake it or forget it ever again. Im not sure why this case was worse than others, but the stench was extra potent in the home, and the homeowners were obviously very concerned. I didn’t blame them, my eyes burned and watered and the odor made my nose run, which made me gag. It was pretty terrible.
After we removed the soiled flooring, most of the smell was removed with it. But still there lingered the noxious aroma of an untimely demise. No amount of open windows or FeBreeze is going to get rid of that smell, so we brought in the big guns…. the Ozone Machine, which eliminates odor deep down, all the way to the molecular level.
Once we’d run the Ozone for a day and a half, the home was once again the familiar place of comfort and warmth that they had remembered before their trip. They were very happy, to say the least.
Later it was determined that the boy had died of an overdose during a small gathering of friends he had invited over to the home. However, the revelers said that once the victim disappeared upstairs and did not come down, they figured that he had passed out, a notion that was further assumed try after one of the friends went upstairs and popped his head into the darkened room, only to see the victim lying motionless on the floor, which the observer believed to be the result of drunken sleep. Ultimately, no charges were brought against anyone.
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.
If you need trauma or accidental death cleanup 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
