For families
Suicide cleanup in Boca Raton
No one should have to read a page like this. There is very little you have to decide today. One thing you can let go of is the room itself: an independent cleanup company can take care of it, quietly, while you are somewhere else.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What the first day looks like
Police come, and so does an investigator from the medical examiner. Florida law puts suicide among the deaths the medical examiner must look into (section 406.11), so this happens every time and does not mean anyone is under suspicion.
The officers will ask questions that are hard to hear. They may take a note, a phone or other items with them. Ask for a receipt and the case number so you can get those things back later.
When they have finished they will tell you the home is yours again. Nothing needs to happen that same hour. Close the door to the room. Stay with someone tonight if you can.
You do not have to go back in
People often think they should clean up themselves, out of love or to protect the rest of the family. Please do not. It is not safe, and it is a memory you cannot give back.
A friend, a sibling or a clergy member can make the phone call for you and meet the company at the door. All the company needs from the family is permission, a way in, and a short list of what must be kept.
- Say which belongings matter: letters, jewelry, a watch, a pet's things.
- Ask that nothing personal be thrown away without a call first.
- Ask the crew to tell you plainly, afterward, what was removed from the room.
Paying for it
Florida's victim compensation program was set up for victims of crime, so it is not usually where families turn after a suicide. The more common routes are the home's insurance and the person's estate. Each policy is different. The insurer or agent is the one who can tell you what yours says.
There is a fuller explanation, written without jargon, in the guide to who pays.
Things families ask
Will the company be discreet?
Ask them directly how they arrive and how they carry material out. It is a fair question and a good company will answer it without hesitation.
Is the home safe to sleep in before the cleanup?
Other rooms generally are, with the door to the affected room kept shut. Children and pets should be kept well away from it. If the room is one you must pass through, stay elsewhere until the work is finished.
Do we have to tell a buyer later?
Florida law says that a suicide, homicide or death on a property is not a material fact that has to be disclosed in a real estate sale (section 689.25). A real estate attorney can advise on your own case.
Boca Raton and nearby
Nobody in the family has to clean this room
Wait until the officers and the medical examiner's investigator have finished. Shut the door on the room, let the air conditioning run, and pick up the phone once you feel able to talk it through.
Ready when the home is yours again
One number reaches an independent biohazard cleanup company working in south Palm Beach County. Describe the room in your own words. Hiring them is up to you.
Call (728) 500-1824Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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