Every year, over 1 million people die by suicide. On average, a person takes their own life somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. Such saddening statistics can prove traumatic for everyone involved and the impact of suicide is more often than not, one of the main reasons a family experiences unrest and depression. Many people are curious as to how suicide is handled and what happens after the incident. If you’re among those people, then this article is for you. We’ll be discussing the intricacies of suicide, who handles the cleanup, and what happens to the victim’s personal belongings so you can get a better idea of how incidents like these are attended to. What happens after suicide? Like we’ve previously mentioned, not too many people are aware of how suicide is correctly handled. This is completely understandable given that not everyone is trained to respond to a traumatic incident. There’s a reason why trauma cleanup companies exist and that is to thoroughly disinfect and sanitise the entire area. Cleaning up after a suicide is very complex because of the presence of pathogens. These microorganisms can be found on the victim’s bodily fluids (e.g. blood, saliva, etc.) and can potentially transmit dangerous diseases. Here are a couple of things you need to know about the intricacies of handling a suicide cleanup. The police are rarely involved in cleanups You may have watched a couple of movies wherein the police responds immediately to a murder or suicide incident. However, the reality is quite different in that the police are rarely involved in crime scene cleanups. The most important part of evidence collection revolves around protecting the crime scene and the local police authorities are tasked to do this. This is so they can preserve the pertinent evidence and keep it uncontaminated before being collected and examined. The successful prosecution of a case lies in the physical evidence present at the crime scene. At best, the police will recommend a cleanup company they’ve had previous experiences with and that’s about it. The trauma cleanup industry is all about connections and the most reputable companies are often called upon to handle gruesome, stomach-churning incidents. Dealing with the logistics aspects can be quite difficult because of psychological trauma. That’s why people who work in crime scene cleanups have previous experiences that relate to the job like EMTs, paramedics, former marines, etc. Is it possible for bystanders to clean up the scene? 
It’s no secret that trauma cleanup services are quite expensive. This may leave some people thinking about whether or not they can clean up a suicide incident by themselves. The answer is no because there are a lot of intricacies involved when dealing with a dead body. Not only do you have to physically clean the site, but you also have to disinfect the entire area which is very challenging on its own. Professional crews are well-equipped in tackling the unique demands of suicide cleanup. They use special cleaning solutions and equipment that not everyone can gain access to. On top of that, the cleanup company invests in training their crew members to be certified for the job. Being a trauma cleanup specialist isn’t easy and you need to have a strong mental fortitude to push through the job on a daily basis. In theory, you can take it upon yourself and clean up the site. But we strongly advise you to contact a licensed cleanup company to limit your exposure to dangerous pathogens. What happens with the victim’s personal belongings? Many people are curious as to what happens to the victim’s belongings after suicide. There are a couple of factors involved in handling their personal items, mainly on whether they lived alone or with their family. Most of the time, the victim’s belongings are first disinfected and sanitised before being handed over to their families. If the police can’t get a hold of any friends or family members, they usually keep it for evidence collection. There are instances where cleanup companies encounter a hoarding situation at the victim’s home. What they do is give the home a thorough deep cleaning to ensure the site is free of pathogens, pests, and other disease-causing organisms. The bottom line Suicide is one of the hardest things to deal with. Regardless of how experienced you are in dealing with a similar situation, suicide can take its toll on you and leave a lasting impact. If you ever find yourself in the middle of an unfortunate event, it’s best that you contact a professional cleanup company and let them take care of the aftermath. If you are in need of suicide cleanup, our team at Aftercare is ready to help. Being in the crime scene cleanup industry for many years, we understand that suicide is a serious incident. No one should ever experience cleaning up after the death of their loved one. With a compassionate and professional team at our disposal, Aftercare ensures that you and your loved ones can have peace of mind during a very emotional time. Remember, most of the time suice cleanup is covered by your homeowners insurance. So, we urge you not to try and undertake this heart breaking task yourself in order to try and save on costs. Contact us today and we’ll be more than willing to attend to your cleanup needs.
