For relatives and friends
Suicide cleanup in Fort Collins
Nobody expects to need this page. Nothing on it is urgent. On whatever day suits, a cleanup firm will see to the room, and neither you nor anyone close to you need set foot in it.
Answered around the clock, every day
Who can call
Someone else may ring on your behalf
Let a sibling, a neighbor, your minister or the landlord do the phoning if that is easier. Three facts are wanted: the address, the room, and whether coroner and police are done there.
Someone with authority over the home has to approve the work and the price. That person does not need to be present for all of it. Ask whether the company will meet a friend at the door and collect the key from them.
What to expect
How it usually goes
The coroner's office finishes first
The Larimer County Coroner investigates every suicide in the county. Wait until the investigator or the officer tells you the home is released.
Keepsakes are named
Perhaps a letter, a handset, a wristwatch, a quilt. List them before any work begins. Certain families send a friend in to fetch such things beforehand.
The room is put right
Workers lift out whatever is stained or broken, wash and disinfect what stays, and carry the waste off with them.
You hear what was done
Ask for a short written summary, including anything that needs repair, such as a patch of flooring or drywall.
Practical matters
Privacy, cost and support
Should you prefer the street not to know, mention it when you ring. Find out what the crew wears on arrival and how bags leave the house.
Crime victim compensation exists for losses a crime caused, so it seldom fits here. Certain home and tenant policies do respond to a cleanup of this kind; the insurer alone can confirm. Each route is set out under who pays for cleanup.
The coroner's page for families has a section on grief and bereavement support with local organizations and their phone numbers.