A suicide or violent death. Police first, then a cleanup crew, and there may be money to help pay

The scene belongs to the police and the medical examiner until they release it, and every state has a crime victim compensation program that can help with cleanup costs once it is.

What is probably happening

• Police and the medical examiner control the scene. They may keep everyone out of part or all of the home for hours or days.
• After release, the cleanup is the same as any trauma scene: removal of affected materials, disinfection, odor treatment, and lawful disposal.
• Every state, plus DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, runs a crime victim compensation program, and these programs can reimburse crime scene cleanup.

Do this in the next five minutes

1. Call 911 if you have not already.
2. Stay out of the room. Ask the officer for the case number and the name of the victim advocate or victim services unit.
3. Ask the investigator when the home will be released.
4. Call your homeowners insurer and open a claim. Vandalism and malicious mischief are covered under most standard policies, and crime scene cleanup is often handled as a covered loss.
5. Look up your state's crime victim compensation program. Many require you to apply within a set time and to use insurance first.
6. Once released, call two trauma cleanup companies. Ask the questions below.

Do not

• Do not clean anything before release. It can interfere with the investigation, and it exposes you to blood-borne infection.
• Do not hand over a signed insurance assignment or pay a deposit to a company that appears at the door. Get a written scope first.
• Do not assume the compensation fund is unlimited. Texas pays up to $2,250 for cleanup, New York up to $2,500. California lists cleanup as a covered cost inside an overall $70,000 cap.

Ask this contractor, on the phone, before anyone comes out

Tap each one as you ask it.

• Have you billed a state crime victim compensation program before, and will you help with the paperwork?
• Are your technicians trained under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030, and who is your permitted medical waste transporter?
• Will the scope be in writing, itemized, before you start?
• Do you hold ABRA CBRT or IICRC TCST certification?
• Is any structural repair or rebuild in this quote, and if so, is it priced separately?

End the call if

• The company will not state its waste disposal method or name its transporter.
• Cash only, or pressure to pay before there is a written scope.
• A promise that the victim fund will cover everything. The Texas cap is $2,250 and New York's is $2,500.