Found after days or weeks
Unattended death cleanup in Fort Collins
Someone who lived alone has died, and no one knew for a while. It is a hard thing to walk into, and nobody is at fault for not knowing sooner. You do not have to deal with the room yourself.
Answered around the clock, every day
First
The coroner comes before any cleanup
Colorado law requires whoever discovers a death like this to report it at once to law enforcement or the coroner. In Fort Collins that means calling 911. The body may not be moved until the coroner's office arrives or gives permission.
The Larimer County Coroner looks into sudden and unexpected deaths throughout the county. An investigator will tell the family whether an autopsy is needed and when the person can go to the funeral home the family picks.
The office has a family advocate at (970) 498-6154 for questions about belongings and what comes next.
Why a specialist
More than a surface problem
When a death goes unnoticed, fluids pass through bedding, carpet and pad and into the subfloor. In an upstairs room they can reach the ceiling below. The smell settles into soft materials, ductwork and anything porous.
Scrubbing what you can see does not solve it. A company finds how far the fluids travelled, cuts out what cannot be saved, cleans and disinfects the structure that remains and then treats the odor. Sometimes that means lifting a section of floor.
- Stay out of the room once the coroner has left. Shut the door.
- Leave the heating and cooling as they are until the company advises you.
- Do not pull up carpet or carry out a mattress yourself.
Belongings
Tell the company what must be kept
Before work starts, list what matters: a will, bank papers, photographs, a wedding ring, a laptop. Hard objects can often be cleaned and returned. Soft things that took up fluid or strong odor usually cannot.
Only someone with authority over the property should approve the work. That is the owner, the next of kin, the personal representative of the estate, or the landlord for a rental. In a death that is not being treated as a crime, the coroner may secure the home, and the law lets the cost of doing so be charged to the estate.
For the paperwork that follows, see after a death at home.
Questions about unattended death cleanup
How long does the smell last?
It stays for as long as the source does. Once affected materials are out and the structure has been treated, the odor goes. Sprays and open windows alone do not remove it.
Can the home be lived in afterwards?
Yes, once the work is finished. Ask the company to tell you in writing what it removed, so that a flooring or drywall contractor knows what to put back.
The person was a tenant. Who arranges this?
Usually the property owner, in step with the family. The landlord guide covers it.