First — Do Not Enter or Touch the Scene
Stay out of the room or area where the body is located. This is the most important safety and legal step you can take right now. What to do after finding a body is one part of the broader subject of unattended death, and that page gives the full overview.
- Stop where you are. Do not walk further into the space. If you are already inside, back out without touching walls, surfaces, or objects.
- Do not touch the body or any surrounding items. Moving or disturbing the scene can interfere with a coroner's investigation and expose you to serious biological hazards.
- Do not open windows or run fans. Ventilating the space may feel instinctive, but it can disturb biological material and spread contaminants before trained responders arrive.
- Keep others away. If you are in a shared building or property, calmly prevent other people — including children, pets, and neighbors — from entering the area.
- Wash your hands thoroughly if you made any contact before realizing the situation. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Move to a safe, separate space and remain on-site so you can speak with law enforcement when they arrive.
An unattended death scene can contain bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, which OSHA classifies as serious occupational hazards. Even brief exposure to bodily fluids without proper protective equipment carries real risk. Your safety comes before anything else.
Call 911 Immediately
Call 911 as soon as you have moved to a safe location away from the scene. You do not need to know the cause of death or how long the person has been deceased — that is not your responsibility to determine. If you want that background later, the homepage explains how long it takes for a body to decompose.
When the dispatcher answers, provide the following information as calmly as you can:
- Your name and phone number
- The exact address of the location
- Where on the property the body is located (e.g., bedroom, garage, back unit)
- Whether you touched anything or entered the space
- Any visible signs of forced entry or other people present
The dispatcher may ask you to stay on the line. Follow their instructions. They are trained to guide you through this. Law enforcement, emergency medical services, and in most cases a coroner or medical examiner will be dispatched to the scene. Calling 911 is always the first step, but the sequence of agencies involved afterward — coroner, medical examiner, law enforcement, and potentially the fire department — follows a specific order that varies by jurisdiction. For anyone who has found a body, the reporting process and agency sequence, along with the documentation involved, is set out on a dedicated page. Understanding who takes jurisdiction and in what order helps witnesses avoid inadvertently delaying the official investigation.
Do not call a funeral home, cleanup company, or family members before 911. Law enforcement must be the first to respond. Any other calls should wait until after officers arrive and begin their assessment.
Wait for Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
Once law enforcement arrives, stay available but do not re-enter the scene unless an officer specifically escorts and clears you to do so. Officers will secure the area and begin an initial investigation to determine whether the death requires further examination by a medical examiner or coroner.
While you wait for authorities, bystanders and family members should stay out of the immediate scene area, because decomposition byproducts create measurable biological hazards even before any visible fluid is present. The health risks of decomposition page gives an overview of every hazard category involved. Those hazards, including airborne pathogens and toxic gases, are detailed there, and they are the reason access to the scene must be restricted.
Law enforcement will also determine whether the scene is classified as a crime scene. If it is, the area may be treated as evidence. Even if no crime is suspected, a coroner or medical examiner must typically certify the cause and manner of death before the body is released. This process varies by jurisdiction but generally involves an on-site assessment and may include an autopsy. If you are wondering what typically leads to these situations, a separate page covers the common causes of unattended death.
A key decision point for property owners and family members: do not sign any paperwork or authorize any services — including cleanup — until law enforcement has officially cleared and released the scene. Acting before that clearance can create legal complications and may disrupt the investigation.
After Law Enforcement Clears the Scene — What Comes Next
Once law enforcement releases the scene, you will face several immediate decisions. The sequence below reflects the order in which these steps typically need to happen.
Once the coroner has removed the decedent and law enforcement has cleared the scene, a critical but often overlooked question arises: who is actually responsible for cleaning what remains? The page on who cleans up after unattended death explains the professional cleaner's role, family versus professional responsibility, and the legal requirements. The answer is almost never the coroner or police department, and understanding this early prevents costly delays.
- Obtain written confirmation that the scene has been released by law enforcement. This matters for insurance claims, landlord-tenant situations, and cleanup authorization.
- Do not attempt to clean the area yourself. Unattended death scenes involve biological material that requires personal protective equipment, specialized training, and proper disposal under federal and state regulations. The EPA and OSHA both set standards for the handling and disposal of biohazardous waste that general cleaning methods do not meet.
- Secure the property to prevent unauthorized entry while arrangements are made.
- Contact your insurance carrier if you are the property owner. Many homeowner and commercial property policies cover biohazard remediation. Document the scene with photos only if law enforcement has fully cleared it and you are not at risk of exposure.
Notifying Family and Next of Kin
Notifying family is one of the hardest steps. In many cases, law enforcement will make initial next-of-kin notifications — confirm with the responding officers whether they will handle this or whether it falls to you.
If notifying family is your responsibility, do so by phone or in person — never by text or social media. Be direct and compassionate. You do not need to provide graphic details. It is appropriate to say that a death has occurred and that the family should contact the medical examiner's office for official information about the cause of death.
Arranging Professional Cleanup
Professional biohazard remediation is required after an unattended death. This is not a standard cleaning task. Biological material — including blood, bodily fluids, and tissue — can saturate porous surfaces such as flooring, subfloor, walls, and insulation, making surface-level cleaning ineffective and dangerous.
A trained remediation team follows a structured process: containment of the affected area, removal and disposal of biohazardous material in compliance with applicable regulations, treatment of contaminated surfaces with EPA-registered disinfectants, and verification of decontamination before the space is re-occupied. Each of these steps serves a specific function. Skipping containment, for example, allows cross-contamination to spread to unaffected areas of the property.
Once the scene has been officially cleared, professional remediation begins with containment and assessment before any physical removal takes place. The decomposition cleanup process page details the step-by-step process, the materials removed, and the disinfection standards involved. If this feels overwhelming, please know you are not alone — call (984) 230-1489 any time, day or night, for help finding a certified cleanup company.
Blue Hawk Crime Scene Cleanup, a crime scene and biohazard cleanup company, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to unattended death and biohazard cleanup requests. If you are ready to take the next step, call (984) 230-1489. We will walk you through what to expect and begin coordinating a response.
Taking Care of Yourself — Emotional Support Resources
Discovering an unattended death is a traumatic experience. What you are feeling — shock, grief, fear, or numbness — is a normal response to an abnormal situation. You do not have to manage this alone.
If you or anyone with you is in emotional crisis, the SAMHSA 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.
Beyond immediate crisis support, consider reaching out to a licensed mental health professional, grief counselor, or trauma therapist in the days following the discovery. Many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that include short-term counseling at no cost. If a religious or spiritual community is part of your life, clergy and pastoral care can also be meaningful resources.
Give yourself permission to ask for help with the practical steps too — coordinating cleanup, contacting insurance, notifying family. These are not tasks you need to manage alone on the worst day.
The practical steps on this page are only part of what someone who has discovered a body must navigate; the psychological impact is equally real and deserves deliberate attention. The psychological impact of unattended death, along with coping resources and support organizations, is covered on its own page. The resources listed there include both crisis-line contacts and grief counseling organizations available to anyone in this situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first if I find an unattended death?
Leave the area immediately without touching anything, then call 911. Do not enter the scene, ventilate the space, or contact any other parties until law enforcement has been notified and is on the way.
Is it safe to stay in the building after finding a body?
Move to a separate area of the building that is not connected to the scene. If the discovery is in a contained room, staying in an unaffected part of the building while you wait for law enforcement is generally acceptable. Follow any instructions given by 911 dispatchers or responding officers.
Can I clean up an unattended death myself?
No. Unattended death scenes contain biological hazards that require specialized equipment, training, and disposal procedures that comply with OSHA and EPA standards. Attempting to clean the scene yourself puts your health at serious risk and may not fully decontaminate the space.
Who is responsible for paying for biohazard cleanup?
Responsibility varies depending on the situation. The cost of cleanup depends on the extent of the contamination, the materials that must be removed, any odor treatment needed, waste disposal, and the size of the property. A separate page breaks down unattended death cleanup cost in more detail. Insurance often helps: if you are a property owner, your homeowner's or landlord's insurance policy may cover remediation costs. If you are a family member, some victim assistance programs may help cover expenses depending on the circumstances of the death. Contact your insurance carrier as soon as the scene is cleared by law enforcement.
How long does it take for law enforcement to clear an unattended death scene?
The timeline varies. A straightforward natural death with no signs of criminal activity may be cleared within several hours. A scene requiring investigation by a medical examiner or crime scene unit may take longer. The responding officers or detective on the scene can give you the most accurate estimate for your specific situation.
When can professional cleanup begin?
Professional cleanup can begin only after law enforcement has officially released the scene and provided clearance. Attempting to begin remediation before that point may interfere with the investigation and could have legal consequences.
How do I find a qualified biohazard cleanup company?
Look for a company that handles biohazard and unattended death cleanup specifically, operates around the clock, and can explain the remediation process clearly. Blue Hawk Crime Scene Cleanup is available 24/7 and can be reached at (984) 230-1489 for immediate guidance and cleanup coordination.
Dealing with an unattended death or decomposition?
Blue Hawk Crime Scene Cleanup provides confidential guidance and professional cleanup for families, landlords and property managers.
📞 Call (984) 230-1489