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Here for your family at any hourAfter a Suicide: A Guide for Families
If you are reading this, you may have just lost someone you love. We are so sorry. This page walks through what usually happens in the first days, who to call, what the cleanup of the home involves and where you can find support for yourself and your family.
- What happens in the first days
- Who to call and when
- What cleanup involves
- Support, including 988
What should a family do after a suicide?
After a suicide at home, police and the medical examiner will first examine the scene and take care of your loved one. Once they release the home, families usually contact a funeral home, notify close relatives, reach out to insurance and arrange for professional cleanup of the room. Support for grieving family members, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, is available at any hour.
What the first days often look like
Right after a death at home, officers and staff from the medical examiner's office will come to the home. They may ask questions and spend some time in the room. This is a normal part of the process, and it does not mean anyone has done something wrong. When they are finished, they will release the home back to the family, and a funeral home of your choice will care for your loved one.
In the days that follow, you may need to notify family, contact an employer, talk to insurance and make arrangements. It can feel like too much. Try to share these tasks with people who offer to help. Cleaning the room should not be one of the jobs you take on yourself. That is something you can hand to us entirely.
Calls families often make in the first week
- A funeral home to care for your loved one
- Close family members and friends who can support you
- Your homeowner's or renter's insurance company
- A professional cleanup company once the home is released
- Your loved one's employer, landlord or bank when you are ready
- 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, if you need to talk
Why we ask families not to clean the room
Your well-being matters more than getting it done quickly.
Your memories
The images from cleaning a loved one's room can stay with you. Many families say they wish they had never seen it.
Your health
Blood and body fluids can carry germs that require protective equipment and special disinfectants.
Hidden areas
Contamination may reach under flooring or into furniture, which needs trained eyes to find.
Proper disposal
Affected items must be handled as regulated medical waste, which a household cannot easily arrange.
What happens when you call us
Knowing what to expect can make the call a little easier.
A quiet phone call
A real person answers. We ask a few simple questions about the home and confirm it has been released. You only share what you want to.
Discreet arrival
Our crew comes in an unmarked van and plain clothes. You do not need to be there, and we can coordinate with a relative or friend.
Restoring the room
Wearing full protective gear, we remove what cannot be saved, with your approval, and disinfect everything else.
Saving what matters
We look for keepsakes, photos and documents and set them aside for you, cleaning them when it is safe.
Paperwork and peace
We provide photos and an itemized report for insurance and let you know when the room is ready.
Support that may help your family
Written for everyone who is grieving
Spouses and partners
You may be facing both grief and a long list of decisions. You do not have to make them all at once.
Parents
Losing a child is a pain no parent should know. Let others carry the practical tasks while you grieve.
Friends and relatives
If you are helping a family, offering to make calls, including ours, can lift a real weight from them.
Finding your way forward in Middle Tennessee
Grief after a suicide often comes with questions that may never have full answers, along with guilt, anger or numbness. All of these are common. Many people find it helps to talk with others who have experienced a similar loss, whether in a support group, with a counselor or with a faith community.
If you or anyone in your family is struggling, please call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is free, confidential and available every hour of every day. You can also call 911 in an emergency.
When you are ready to think about the home, we serve families throughout Nashville, Davidson County and the surrounding counties, including Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Sumner, Robertson and Cheatham. Homeowner's and renter's insurance often covers the cleanup, and we will handle the paperwork with your adjuster.
Steady hands on the hardest days
Answered day and night
A person picks up at 3 a.m. the same as at noon, and we usually start the same day across Nashville.
Quiet arrival
Unmarked vans and plain clothes. Nobody on your street has to know why we came.
Protected crews
Full protective gear and OSHA bloodborne pathogen practices on every job, large or small.
Proper disposal
Contaminated materials leave as regulated medical waste, never in your trash or a dumpster.
Help with your claim
Photos and an itemized report make the conversation with your adjuster easier. How insurance works.
No surprises on price
You see a written scope before we begin. What affects the price.
Serving Nashville and the six counties around it
See every community on our areas we cover page.
Questions families often have
There are no wrong questions. Here are some we hear often. More on our questions page.
Talk with us nowWho cleans the home after a suicide?
Police, the medical examiner and the funeral home do not clean the home. Families usually call a professional trauma cleanup company once the home is released.
How soon do I need to arrange the cleanup?
There is no deadline. Many families call within a day or two, but you can take the time you need. Keeping the room closed in the meantime is fine.
Will insurance pay for the cleanup?
Homeowner's and renter's policies often cover it. We work directly with your adjuster and provide photos and an itemized report.
Can we stay in the home?
Many families stay elsewhere until the cleanup is finished, especially for the first night or two. Others stay and simply keep the room closed. Do whatever feels right.
How do I talk to children about what happened?
Simple, honest words suited to their age are usually best. A school counselor, pediatrician or grief counselor can help you find the right approach.
Where can I get help if I am struggling?
You can call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time of day or night. Talking to someone can help, and you do not have to be in crisis to reach out.
More in Suicide Cleaning
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Call whenever it feels right. A caring person will answer, listen and handle the room so your family can focus on each other.
