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You are here: Home / Blog

Blood Stains Can Convict a Killer

January 31, 2023 By Alan Cohen

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biohazard technicians cleaning up blood off the street after a homicide

It is always interesting to see a case come back into the news for which our team at Bio SoCal completed the biohazard cleanup. For the news photo, New Channel 3 chose an image our Bio SoCal technicians cleaning up the blood patterns later discussed in the trial.

Quadruple murder in Palm Springs

Nearly four years ago, four people were found shot and killed in Palm Springs. Three were found inside a crashed car at Sunny Dunes and El Placer roads and the fourth was discovered lying in a street a few blocks away. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a man hiding under a truck covered in blood and appearing intoxicated. Though first responders took him to the hospital for treatment, he was later recorded running away from the medical facility later in the night. He then prepared to flee the state via a bus to Florida after changing his appearance. Police arrested him at the bus stop and charged him with all four counts of murder. If convicted, the suspect could face the death penalty.

The second trial is in progress

The first trial in 2022 ended in a hung jury. The new trial began last fall and is still continuing. The prosecution brought in blood stain expert Craig Ogino to determine whether the suspect was in the backseat of the vehicle at the time of the shootings. Specializing in high-energy blood splatter such as from a gunshot wound, Ogino used scientific methods and a blood-splattered coat found with the suspect to recreate the point of origin for each bullet fired. The outcome of this second trial is still unknown.

Blood stains tell a story

Whenever crimes are committed and blood is involved, investigators take special care to note exactly where blood is found. The location, amount of blood, the distance from a victim, and the shape of a blood splatter can all be later used to discern what happened and who is responsible for the crime. This science is called “bloodstain pattern analysis” and is often used in trials to convict or exonerate suspects. For example, if the direction of a gunshot wound is found to be from a different location than where the suspect was located, then it brings into serious question whether the suspect could have done it. In this situation, the blood stain expert said that based on the gunshot wounds, blood splatter, and the blood on the coat found with the suspect, that the suspect was in the backseat, the same place from which the gun was fired, and that no one else was there.

Bio SoCal only cleans after a scene is released

Because blood and other fluid stains can be critical to convicting the person who committed the crime, It is vital to the case that our work cleaning up all the biohazards begins only after investigators clear the scene and get the pictures, measurements, and data needed to later examine.

We understand that when a crime is convicted on your property, you want it cleaned up as soon as possible so you can move forward with taking care of your business and loved ones. However, because of the importance of any relevant evidence, investigators must first have all the time they need to gather information to later use in discerning what occurred. As soon as they are done, though, and have released the scene back to the property owner, we will be there to make sure all hazardous materials, including investigative chemicals, have been fully removed and the area truly clean. Once we are done, you can be confident safety has been restored and you are free to move about your property.

At Bio SoCal, we hope whoever brought these lives to an early end is convicted and that the victims’ families can know that, even though their loved ones are gone, justice will be served.

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Filed Under: Biohazards

Airlines Offer Bereavement Fares in Times of Loss

January 23, 2023 By Alan Cohen

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Bereavement Fares

What is a bereavement fare?

When you are facing the loss of a loved one, flying last minute to say goodbye to someone who is dying or to a loved one’s funeral can be a financial hardship. To help alleviate the costs of such a plane ticket, certain airlines offer “bereavement fares”: discounted tickets for those whose immediate family member has passed away.

This discount can make an already difficult time a little easier but, be careful, the discounted fare isn’t often the cheapest fare available for your destination. The discount amount will vary by airline and only applies to the cost of the ticket. The ticket holder must still pay any standard baggage fees. Other airlines or even an airline’s online search may also offer a cheaper ticket without the bereavement fare. It is always a good idea to check around before making your final purchase.

Who qualifies for a bereavement fare?

You qualify for a bereavement fare if someone in your immediate family has passed away or are facing imminent death, including your spouse’s family. (See the list below for the types of qualifying relationships.) Bereavement fares are not for the loss of friends, co-workers, or cousins. If you are wondering if your situation qualifies, call the airline to check if it falls under their policy.

  • Spouse: domestic partner, husband, or wife
  • Parent: mother, father, step-father, step-mother, legal guardian
  • Child: daughter, son, offspring, step-child, step-daughter, step-son
  • Sibling: brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister
  • Grandparent: grandmother, grandfather
  • Grandchild: grandson, granddaughter
  • Parents’ siblings: aunt, uncle
  • Sibling’s children: niece, nephew, sibling
  • In-laws: mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law.

If you have children flying with you, kids under the age of two fly for free and those over two qualify for the same discounted airfare as you.

Which airlines offer a bereavement fare?

There are several major airlines offering bereavement fares. Each airline has a different set of policies around bereavement fares such as the travel window available in relation to the person’s death (see below). For specific information on days of travel, proof of death required, and what kinds of discounts they offer, check their websites or call their customer service lines.

  • Delta – Travel must occur within seven days of the person’s death
  • Alaska Airlines – Travel must occur within seven days of purchasing the ticket
  • Air Canada – Travel must occur within ten days of the person’s death and travel can last no longer than 60 days
  • West Jet – Travel must occur within thirty days of purchase for both the outbound and return flights
  • Lufthansa – Lufthansa will discount a round trip from the US or Canada to Europe

Not all airlines offer bereavement fares. Over the last decade, some airlines have discontinued their programs and discount airlines such as Southwest and Frontier have never offered bereavement fares. Before calling an airline and purchasing your ticket, make sure you check a variety of airlines for a regular ticket price. Many times, an airline’s regular ticket may be cheaper than another airline’s bereavement fare.

How do I get the airline’s discounted bereavement fare?

To obtain a bereavement fare, you must call the customer service line of the airline you want to fly with to speak with a customer service representative directly. Bereavement fares are never offered online, they are only sold over the phone with proof of your loss.

While bereavement fares are open to the public, some airlines only sell them to members of their reward programs. To sign-up (all programs are free to join), simply login to the airline’s website and sign up for free. You can then call the airline as a qualifying member. Each person flying over age 18 needs to have their own member number.

What should I do before I call the airline?

Before you call an airline to purchase a bereavement fare, there are several steps you need to take to make sure you are getting the best deal:

    1. Pick your route: Decide what airports you can fly into and out of to get where you need to go.
    2. Check other fares: Search online on third party websites and a variety of airlines including the one you want to call that are flying that route to know the cost of their tickets. There could be a lower price somewhere else, or the airline might be having a sale to the city you’re going to. Bereavement fares aren’t automatically the lowest price on offer and a few extra minutes of research can pay dividends.
    3. Choose which airline to call: The airlines offering bereavement fares each have different policies and cities they fly to. Evaluate which airline offering these fares would best fit with your travel plans and route and make sure you check their page for their lowest price before you call.
    4. Gather proof of death or imminent death: Gather the required information to relay to the customer service representative so you are ready to make the purchase with as little trouble to yourself as possible. Some airlines require this information upfront while some require the paperwork after your trip. Check the specific airline for details of what their requirements are. Depending on your situation, the needed information may include:
      • The name of the deceased person
      • Your relationship to that person
      • Death certificate
      • The name and phone number of the funeral home, hospital, or hospice service
      • The name of the doctor if the information is available
    5. Join the airline’s rewards program: If you are not already a member of the airline’s reward program and they require membership to purchase a bereavement fare, go online and sign-up for free before calling the airline.

What do I do when I call the airline?

When you call the airline, explain your situation to the representative and they will walk you through what you need to do to qualify. They will then look up the route and time in question and they will be able to tell you the offered cost of the bereavement fare. When deciding if you want to purchase the fare offered, consider fees and taxes associated with the cost of other tickets available. Some fees may be removed for bereavement fares that you’ll have to pay with other purchases. At other times, tickets available on that airline’s website or through other discount airlines will be the better option.

What do I do if I have to cancel a trip?

If you have to cancel airline tickets you’ve already purchased due to someone in your family passing away, it may be worth it to call the airline directly to ask if they would be willing to refund your ticket without any cancellation fees. Some airlines, even if they don’t offer bereavement fares directly, may cancel or change your flights without charging extra fees due to a death in your family. Before you call, be prepared with the same information as you would need in order to apply for a bereavement fare including proof of the family member passing away or of their imminent death. Customer service representatives may have leeway in such cases, and it never hurts to ask.

Check out your options before flying

Traveling due to a bereavement isn’t easy. When you add the unexpected cost of a last-minute trip, the option of obtaining a bereavement fare can help financially during a difficult time. However, bereavement fares may not be the best option for you depending on other available ticket prices. Spending a couple of extra minutes researching your options can help alleviate your stress and financial impact during already emotional days.

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Filed Under: How To

The Importance of Wellness Checks

December 29, 2022 By Alan Cohen

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Wellness Check
Our staff at Bio SoCal are often called to scenes for biohazard cleanup after the police have received a request for a wellness check. These checks often lead to the discovery of an elderly person in distress, the body of someone who has passed away, or a crime scene. They are a vital way to check on our loved ones when we suspect something is amiss.

What is a wellness check?

A wellness check is when one or more police officers go to a person’s location, usually their residence, to check on their mental or physical health. This is most often done when a friend or family member has a reason to be concerned for a friend or loved one or they haven’t been able to get a hold of them for a while.
Examples of why you might call the police for a wellness check include:

  • A friend who is having thoughts of suicide
  • An acquaintance you believe is being hurt
  • An older neighbor you haven’t seen in some time and who doesn’t answer the door or answer their phone
  • Family members you haven’t been able to get a hold of

During a wellness check, police are not allowed to collect evidence nor are they allowed to use a wellness check to enter a property to make an arrest.

How do I request a wellness check?

Get in touch with the police department where the wellness check will need to be conducted. You can do this either by calling 9-1-1 if you believe the person is in immediate danger or the non-emergency line of their local police department.

Before you call the police for a wellness check, make sure you have a good reason to suspect the person you are calling about could be in serious danger. It is not an action to be taken lightly. When you call, the police will ask you questions about the person, your relationship with them, why you think a wellness check is warranted, and any recent conversations you had with the person in question. This will help them determine whether a wellness check is needed and if it is an emergency situation.

What happens during a wellness check?

When the police arrive at the location in question, they knock on the door and announce their police identification. If no response is forthcoming, they can force their way into the building. Police are only able to legally enter the premises of a person’s home during a wellness check if they have reasonable grounds to believe someone is in danger. In cases where someone is unconscious or otherwise unable to respond, this action enables police or other first responders to then administer life-saving aid.
What happens after a wellness check is conducted depends on what the police find once they get there.

  • If the person is found safe and is doing well, the police will simply notify you of the outcome.
  • If the person is found injured, sick, or is found deceased, the police will call you and, if you are in the area, will wait until you arrive at the scene.
  • If the person is injured or deceased due to criminal activity, the police will initiate an investigation and will contact you to let you know what is going on.

Bio SoCal is here to help after wellness checks

Our team at Bio SoCal often helps families by cleaning up blood and other bodily fluids found during a wellness check. We recently helped a family work through a difficult time after they received a disturbing letter from an out-of-state family member. Unable to get a hold of their loved ones, they then contacted the police to request a wellness check. When officers arrived, they found the couple in question deceased. Bio SoCal then arrived on scene once the investigation was complete to remove the biohazards and restore the property to safety so family members could enter the property.

Call the police for a needed wellness check

Every day we see how important wellness checks can be in the health of a loved one. Whether a person is in medical distress, in serious danger, or has passed away, the police can be of immeasurable help in discovering how the person is doing.

If you need the police to conduct a wellness check for your friend, neighbor, or family member, call 9-1-1 or locate the non-emergency police phone number for their location.

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Filed Under: How To

Three Bodies Found in Irvine Home

December 13, 2022 By Alan Cohen

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Irvine, CA

Bio SoCal was on the scene in Irvine, California to clean up after a suspected murder-suicide at a private residence.

After family members in Canada were unable to contact their relatives in Irvine, California, for over a year, Canadian authorities contacted Irvine Police to request a wellness check. Once officers arrived at the address in question, they found three severely decomposed bodies inside the home. Upon further investigation, detectives discovered all three suffered from a gunshot wound. There was no forced entry or foul play detected and a gun was found at the scene. After looking at dental records, two victims were identified – the third was pending at the time of reporting.

Once the police completed their on-site investigation and released the scene, Bio SoCal arrived with all the needed equipment and staff to clean the affected property and remove all the biohazard contamination.

Unattended deaths and murder-suicides may require extensive cleanup

When someone dies and the body is not discovered right away, the natural decomposition process begins, returning the elements of the body back to the earth. While this is a natural process and an important part of our planet’s eco-system, the results can be hazardous for other living beings such as humans and animals.

As the body comes apart, cells die, and blood and fluids follow gravity, infecting the surrounding materials with these fluids along with any viruses and bacteria they carry. In the case of a building, the fluids soak through flooring and damages the structure itself.

In murder-suicide cleanup cases like the house in Irvine, the structure underlying the affected area in the months following the murder-suicide was severely damaged and needed to be replaced before the estate could dispose of the property. To restore the property and make it safe for future residents, we carefully removed any unsalvageable personal belongings and all the affected building layers infected with the body fluids. We then used industrial-grade cleaning equipment to clean and disinfect the property along with permanent odor removal.

Indoor unattended deaths need permanent odor removal

Once all the infected substances have been removed and the property thoroughly cleaned, we use odor removal technology to permanently eliminate any lingering smell from the affected spaces. With this home in Irvine, the odor of the decomposing bodies had spread throughout the house but we have handled many such cases and have the experience to handle it.

Bio SoCal is here for the Irvine community

At Bio SoCal, each unattended death cleanup or murder-suicide cleanup we undertake is never just a job. Each one involves people who lived, breathed, and loved. Each one involves grieving loved ones and a surrounding community who just lost a friend or neighbor. It is for these people and their protection we undertake the cleanup while giving respect to the one they lost.

Our hearts reach out to the grieving loved ones of this family and to the entire Irvine community.

If you need biohazard cleanup for any reason, we are available 24/7 to be there for you in your time of need. Call us today at (949) 424-6299 for a free consultation and estimate.

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Filed Under: Murder, Suicide

Bio SoCal Cleans Parking Lot After Stabbing

November 16, 2022 By Alan Cohen

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Jack In The Box

Bio SoCal’s crew was out early Friday morning to quickly clean up blood from the scene at the Jack In The Box restaurant in Ventura, California after a man was stabbed outside in the parking lot.

Located on S. Victoria Avenue in Ventura, police were called to the scene after a report of an altercation between two men who did not know each other. When officers arrived, they found a 40-year-old victim with multiple stab wounds near the dumpster enclosure behind the restaurant. Upon investigation, police learned the two men had been involved in a verbal argument before the attack occurred. The victim was then taken to a local hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. According to news reports, police are still investigating the crime and are searching for the suspect who fled the scene wearing a mask.

Trusted biohazard cleanup throughout Ventura County

As the trusted biohazard cleanup company throughout Ventura County, Bio SoCal was called to the scene to complete the blood cleanup and make sure the Ventura community was safe from any resulting hazards from the attack. Once the investigators released the scene and we arrived on site, our whole team worked quickly so the restaurant staff could reopen and serve the morning breakfast rush.
Bio SoCal is here to protect your business.

At Bio SoCal, we understand Ventura companies have businesses to run with as little disruption as possible, even when a violent crime occurs on their property. We are thus available for emergency biohazard cleanups such as this at all hours of the day, seven days a week. Ready to help businesses and cities continue operations after a crime or trauma scene, we make sure you can count on us to be there for you so you can be there for your customers.
Here at Bio SoCal, we protect your business by:

  • Arriving in an unmarked vehicle and wearing plain uniforms to protect your reputation and to keep prying eyes away
  • Protecting your employees by handling the biohazard cleanup work they aren’t trained for
  • Ensuring all biohazards have been fully removed following all rules and regulations to safeguard your legal liability
  • Working as quickly as possible to cause as little disruption as possible

As a local business ourselves, we understand how important it is to have other businesses you can rely on to provide needed services. When crimes or accidents occur, you need a biohazard company that will arrive ready to handle any task large to small.

We’re here for quality biohazard cleanup

Whether you have any questions or want to know more about how we can help you and your business, call us today and we’ll be happy assist you.
Our thoughts are with the stabbing victim, and we hope he makes a quick recovery.

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Filed Under: Blood Cleanup

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Recent Posts

  • Blood Stains Can Convict a Killer
  • Airlines Offer Bereavement Fares in Times of Loss
  • The Importance of Wellness Checks
  • Three Bodies Found in Irvine Home
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From the Blog

  • Blood Stains Can Convict a Killer

    January 31, 2023
  • Airlines Offer Bereavement Fares in Times of Loss

    January 23, 2023
  • The Importance of Wellness Checks

    December 29, 2022
  • Three Bodies Found in Irvine Home

    December 13, 2022
  • Motorcyclist Killed in Palm Desert

    October 31, 2022

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