After a suicide

Suicide cleanup in San Jose

You should not have to go back into that room. An independent cleanup company can do the work quietly while you are somewhere else.

Call (669) 274-0805

Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

A woman sitting at a kitchen table, listening on a phone, with a notepad and a mug in front of her.

What happens first

Police respond, and the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office is brought in. Until both have finished, the room has to stay as it is. An officer will tell you when the home is released. If that was never made clear, the San Jose Police non-emergency number is 408-277-8900.

After that there is no deadline. Close the door, stay with people who care about you, and phone a cleanup company when you can. Someone else can make that call for you: a relative, a friend, a faith leader, a neighbor.

What the company does

It removes anything that blood or other fluids reached, cleans and disinfects the room, and takes the waste away in sealed containers. Where a firearm was involved, small traces can travel across a room and onto the ceiling. The workers look for that, so nothing is left for you to come across later.

You can ask them to arrive in a plain vehicle if they have one, to come at a certain hour, and to set aside personal things such as letters, a phone, glasses or jewelry. You do not need to be home. Many families leave a key with a friend.

Things families ask about

Notes and personal items. Investigators may take a note or a phone as part of their work. Ask the officer or the Medical Examiner-Coroner's investigator what was taken and how it comes back to you.

Telling the landlord. If the home is rented, the landlord needs to know that cleaning is being arranged, though not the details. The cleanup company can speak to the landlord about getting in.

Cost. The state's victim compensation program is meant for crimes. For other deaths, look to homeowner or renter insurance. Some policies cover this cleaning and some do not, and only the insurer or the agent can say.

Two things people ask

Do I have to be there while they work?

No. Someone has to let the company in and agree the price, and that can be a relative or a friend. You can be reached by phone if a question comes up.

Will the neighbors know?

Ask the company how it arrives and what it carries in and out. Many use plain vehicles and covered containers. It is a reasonable thing to ask for.