A coroner’s seal on the door of a property is not something you come across every day but when you do, it is important to know what protection the seal extends and the legal ramifications of breaking it if you are not legally authorized to do so.

When a person dies under certain circumstances such as dying unattended with no next of kin immediately available, the coroner arrives to store the body once the police have completed their investigation. Once the body is off the premises, the coroner places a seal on the door(s) of the property after making sure all windows and doors are locked. Placed over the door and the doorjamb, this seal on the property provides legal protection to the deceased’s belongings until the legal representative of the person who passed away comes to claim the property. Until that person arrives with the police with a legal letter from the coroner, no one, not even the property owner, is allowed inside.

Who can remove the seal?

When a corner’s seal is placed on a property, only the coroner themselves or the legal next of kin are allowed to break it and enter the premises. If someone who is not authorized enters the property, they can be legally charged with a misdemeanor and face legal consequences. Even if a property needs to be cleaned, you cannot pass through until the next of kin arrives.

Next of kin is a legal term denoting a person legally appointed to represent the deceased and settle their estate. Even if you are related to the person who passed away, the seal must remain in place until you have the legal authorization to break it.

If cost accrue due to the deceased’s property occupying the property, lost rent for example, the property owner can make a legal claim against the estate to recover the lost funds. In some cases, the seal can be broken only for the purpose of cleaning up any biohazards resulting from an event such as a suicide or body decomposition. If biohazards need to be cleaned up in cases such as these and the coroner’s seal has already been put in place, then the coroner or police must be there to authorize the breaking of the seal.

Bio SoCal is here to help

Bio SoCal regularly works with the coroner’s office and local police departments in cases like this and can walk you through what needs to be done to restore the safety of the property while maintaining the protection of a person’s belongings until the next of kin arrives. If you need help, we are happy to work with you and answer questions along the way. Simply give us a call today and we’ll provide you with a free quote and consultation.

Locally owned and strictly adhering to all local and federal rules and regulations, we meticulously clean biohazards after a death such as blood, body fluids, urine and feces while restoring the property to prevent conditions. Available 24-7, we are here when you need us.

Our biohazard cleanup team in La Quinta was on scene after an officer-involved shooting in late January. Always ready to help our neighbors throughout Riverside County, we make sure your property is restored to safety after a crime is committed or an accident takes place.

The event first began in Thousand Palms when a woman ran into a local business claiming her estranged husband was armed with a rifle and trying to kill her. The staff there called police and when they responded, the officers tried talking with the man sitting in a red Ford pickup truck. However, the man quickly backed up the truck and took off up the road. The California Highway Patrol and police officers followed with the chase only ending when the man hit another vehicle in La Quinta. Though details are scant, an officer-involved shooting then occurred with the man being hit by gunfire and succumbing to his injuries shortly thereafter. The rifle was recovered at the scene and no other person was hurt. As is standard procedure, the officers involved in the shooting have been put on administrative leave pending the investigation.

While investigators collected evidence from the scene and our crew conducted their crime scene and blood cleanup, the road was closed and traffic diverted to keep the public safe and to give the professional crews time and space to do our work.

We work to keep public spaces safe from biohazards

When a crime occurs in a public space, Bio SoCal is often on scene to conduct the cleanup and make sure all traces of blood and other bodily fluids have been removed in order to protect the community. With good working relationships with police departments throughout Southern California and all around Riverside County, we work hard alongside officers to remediate any affected areas and restore our public streets, parking lots, and sidewalks.

La Quinta’s preferred biohazard cleanup company

Bio SoCal is La Quinta’s preferred biohazard cleanup company. We are available 24/7 for any kind of blood and body fluid cleanup. Whether you are dealing with a crime scene, accident, or unattended death, we are here for you with compassionate service and professional experience.

Many of our services, including crime scene cleanup, is covered by your property insurance and we can fill out the paperwork and file the claim on your behalf. Here to make a difficult time easier for you to walk through, you can always call us with any questions you may have or for a free quote and consultation.

Do you need an escape from domestic violence?

If you need help escaping from a domestic violence situation, there are people available to help you. With hotlines ready to connect you to resources and local shelters available, help is only a phone call away.

• Alternatives to Domestic Violence Hotline 951-320-1374

Bio SoCal’s crew was recently on scene for blood cleanup after a dead body was found near Palm Springs early on a Thursday morning.

In an enclosed area beside a dumpster, a 33 year-old man from Blythe, California was found dead early in the morning between an office building and a dog park across from City Hall. While it is unclear what happened for the death to have occurred, the police have opened a suspicious death investigation.

Bio SoCal is proud to work with the Palm Springs police

Bio SoCal is proud to work with the Palm Springs police department in events such as this. Especially in cases where a body is a found in a highly trafficked area with a lot of people passing nearby, it’s important to make sure every tiny amount of blood and bodily fluid has been fully removed from any surface and material nearby. Whether the fluid is obvious or only traceable through scientific testing, it all needs to be fully removed and all areas disinfected. Without such attention to detail and care for the community, bloodborne pathogens can be left to fester and infect others who may come into contact with them unknowingly.

Blood Cleanup is important both indoors and outdoors

Some people may think blood cleanup doesn’t matter as much outside as inside. Exposed to the elements such as the sun, wind, and rain, there are those who may assume the danger after a homicide or accident is taken care of over time. However, this is not the case and would leave the public exposed to dangerous health hazards.

After an accident, homicide, or unattended death outdoors, the area around the body and any resulting blood needs to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with environmentally friendly cleaning solutions by professional biohazard cleaners. The sooner such hazards are attended to, the better. That is why Bio SoCal is always available, 24/7, to provide emergency blood cleanup and accident cleanup throughout Southern California.

Before the wind and rain can spread the fluids around or people can track the mess far and wide on their car tires or shoes, Bio SoCal is there to make sure all fluids have been removed, any soiled material legally discarded as biohazardous waste, and the remaining surfaces thoroughly disinfected. Only by taking these steps can the area be safe for the public and the property owner relieved of any legal liability due to improper cleanup. With Bio SoCal on the job, you can rest assured the situation will be properly addressed and the area correctly cleaned and decontaminated.

Bio SoCal is here to serve

If you ever experience an accident or death on your property anywhere throughout Southern California, Bio SoCal is always available for emergency blood cleanup and body fluid cleanup 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With a reliable team of professionals, we know what it takes to get your home restored and your business back to its day-to-day routine.

Our thoughts are with those who lost their loved one in this tragedy.

Last month, Bio SoCal responded to a tragic crime scene in a Huntington Beach, California, apartment that resulted in the death cleanup after a homicide of a young woman. Although never an easy task, we are honored that we could help by providing crime scene cleanup services so the family can safely enter the unit to clean out their loved one’s belongings.

Homicide in Huntington Beach

Responding to reports of domestic violence currently taking place at an apartment complex in Huntington Beach, California, police arrived to find the body of a 25-year woman who had died from a gunshot wound. Also at the scene was her 34 year old boyfriend who needed immediate medical attention. After conducting their investigation of the suspected homicide in Huntington Beach, the police arrested the boyfriend less than two days later and held him on a $10 million dollar bail.

Cleaning up after domestic violence in Huntington Beach

When physical domestic violence occurs and body fluids such as blood are spilled, especially throughout a larger area, then professional biohazard cleanup is needed to clean the crime scene. Between the potential damage to the building structure if bodily fluids are left to soak into materials unchecked and the infectious diseases the body fluids can carry, all the fluids and porous materials infected need to be removed and discarded as medical waste by a professional biohazard cleanup company experienced in crime scene cleanup. This attention to detail prevents further tragedy in the homes and properties where domestic violence has occurred. In addition to the fluids, chemical used in crime scene investigations are also left at the scene and need to be cleaned such as fingerprint powder. By cleaning, sanitizing, and decontaminating the area, all hazards will be removed and the area made safe.

Though a property owner needs to check with the specific coverage of their insurance policy, most property insurance includes payment for cleaning up bodily fluids and chemicals after a crime has taken place.

Need help escaping domestic violence?

Seeing the resulting crime scenes after domestic violence and homicide take place, it is painful to think of all the violence people have gone through before reaching this stage of needing our professional cleanup services. Domestic violence is violence that is committed within a domestic circle. This can include married couples, dating relationships, relatives, family friends, and adults to children, basically any close relationship between the victim and the perpetrator.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, whether physical, emotional, or sexual, there is immediate help available. For help escaping domestic violence, contact these organizations:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) – If you are experiencing domestic violence, help is a phone call away 24/7. “All contacts made to The Hotline are always free, confidential, and free of judgement. If you’re looking for someone to talk to about your situation, our advocates can help you begin to address what’s going on in your relationship.”
• Laura’s House: Located in Huntington Beach, Laura’s House provides unduplicated domestic violence-related services to the 915,000 residents of Orange County, California and beyond including crisis hotline support, children’s programs, legal services, transitional housing, emergency shelter, counseling and resources, outreach, and education.

We’re here for crime scene cleanup

If you need help cleaning up after a crime scene including spilled body fluids after domestic violence has taken place or if you have questions about homicide cleanup, death cleanup, or crime scene cleanup anywhere in Southern California, we at Bio SoCal are always here to help and are just a phone call away. Call us 24/7 at (714) 831-0088.

Our thoughts are with the family and friends who lost their loved one in this incident.

The hottest weather ever recorded in Woodland Hills at a national weather station took place just a few short weeks ago. At 121 degrees, the sweltering heat from the sun drains our bodies of energy and puts them at dangerous risk of not being able to cool themselves. This rise in temperature can cause heat stroke and even death.

At Bio SoCal, every year we clean up avoidable death scenes of people who have passed away from heat stroke during high heat and we want to raise awareness of the dangers so it doesn’t happen to you or a loved one. As we continue to experience high heat under the hot sun, make sure you are taking care of yourself and those you care for.

What is heat stroke

Heat stroke occurs when a person’s body is unable to cool itself in high temperatures and reaches an internal temperature of 104˚ or more. The hotter the weather is and the more a person is not used to the high heat, the faster heat stroke can occur. It is important to always be vigilant and to protect yourself and others when the weather heats up like it did in September. Symptoms of heat stroke include:

• Clammy skin
• low blood pressure
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Nausea
• Slurred speech
• Profuse sweating

If immediate action is not taken to cool a person down, organs swell, the brain is damaged, and death can occur. Heat stroke most often occurs when people exert themselves in high heat, when children or pets are left in hot vehicles, or it can occur when people are in spaces without air conditioning, especially older adults.

Unattended Death Cleanup

With all the people living alone in solitude without air conditioning, it doesn’t take long in high heat for someone to suffer a heat stroke and pass away without anyone knowing about it. In such cases, it is usually the odor of the body as it decomposes over the coming days or weeks that alerts someone to the problem. As we work on these unattended death cleanups to make the property safe for other people by removing the body fluids and thoroughly cleaning the area, we see how avoidable these deaths are and want to do what it takes to alert people of these dangers before death occurs.

Fires and rolling blackouts

In addition to the damage heat can do to our bodies, there are additional risks to our health and belongings from the heat. When high temperatures dry out an area over time, the risk of fire grows and once sparked, can quickly race through dry underbrush, wiping out entire neighborhoods or even whole towns in the process. To protect yourself and your belongings, make sure any dry bushes and trees are removed from the perimeter of your house and keep important papers at an easy to access location in case you are forced to evacuate.

Another consequence of high heat is when the demand for power to supply air conditioners outstrips the supply of electricity available. When this occurs, a power company will decide to conduct what Is called “rolling blackouts.” To ease the demand, the company turns off the electricity to certain areas for short periods of time to make sure the supply meets the current demand. If you live in an area where this occurs at times of high heat, make sure you have other ways to cool yourself during those hours when your power is turned off.

Precautions to take when temperatures go up

When temperatures go up, there are several precautions you can take to avoid ill-health from the heat and to make sure your loved ones are safe. If you are responsible for those who may not be able to protect themselves such as children, older adults, or animals, it is particularly important to be vigilant.

• Drink lots of water and avoid alcoholic and sugary drinks
• Stay indoors in cooler temperatures as much as possible and use air conditioning if available
• Wear light colored, lightweight, loose fitting clothing
• Avoid strenuous activity outdoors
• Take a cold shower or bath
• Shut all windows and blinds in a house during the day and air it out at night if temperatures are cool enough
• Never leave a child or animal in the car

Exercise caution when temperatures rise

With temperatures rising once more, make sure to stay in cool areas, minimize outdoor exercise, and protect those who may not be able to protect themselves. If you know someone who doesn’t have air conditioning, check on them or help them find an open cooling center nearby.

Unattended Death Cleanup Questions

If you have questions about cleaning up a property after someone has passed away, we here at Bio SoCal are always happy to help.