For families and housemates
Suicide cleanup in Las Vegas
We are sorry you are reading this. You do not have to clean the room, and nobody who loved the person should. A cleanup company can do it for you, quietly.
What happens before any cleaning
Police come first, then an investigator from the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner. The office looks into every death by suicide, as it does any death by violence and any unattended death, so this is routine and not a sign that anyone is suspected of anything.
The coroner's staff take the person into their care. The office says its work costs the family nothing, and that release to a funeral home normally follows within 24 to 48 hours of the examination.
When the officers say the home is released, the room is yours again. Close the door. There is no deadline that forces you to decide tonight, though sooner is kinder to the house and to whoever lives there.
Things you can ask the company to do
- Come in an unmarked vehicle and keep the work out of the neighbors' view
- Set aside a note, a phone, a ring or papers found in the room
- Tell you plainly what must be thrown away, before it goes
- Work while the family is somewhere else
- Explain the charges in writing before starting
- Leave the room bare and clean so repairs can follow
What the cleaning involves
It depends on what happened and where. Sometimes it is a small area of hard floor. Sometimes a mattress, carpet or a section of wall has to be taken out. If a firearm was used, the company also looks for damage beyond the room itself.
Everything removed is sealed and taken away as regulated waste. Surfaces that stay are cleaned and disinfected. You can ask as much or as little about the detail as you want to know.
Questions families ask
Does anyone have to be told why the company is there?
No. Cleanup companies are used to working discreetly. What you tell neighbors, a landlord or an association is up to you, beyond what a lease requires.
Will insurance treat this differently?
Policies vary and we can't tell you what yours says. Ask your insurer or agent how the policy handles cleanup after a death in the home. Who pays for cleanup has more.
Can a friend make the call for us?
Yes. Anyone the family trusts can phone, describe the situation and pass on what they learn.
Las Vegas valley, any hour
Someone else can take this part
You don't need to have every answer first. Questions are welcome before the home is released, before the insurer has replied and before you have decided anything.
Talk it through with a cleanup company
Tell them what happened, what kind of home it is and whether police or the coroner have finished. They will say how they would go about it and what they charge for. Whether to hire them is up to you.
Call (725) 223-9153Someone picks up 24 hours a day, every day
Your conversation may be recorded. Why, and what is kept, is set out in the privacy policy and the disclosure.