A guide for families
After a death at home: the first days, in order
Nobody is taught this. Here is the sequence in Ventura County, who does what, and the point at which the home becomes yours to deal with again.
Phone answered 24/7, day and night
The sequence
Dial 911
If the death was not expected, do it even when it is plain that the person has died. Paramedics and officers come, and the officers decide whether the death has to be reported onward.
The Medical Examiner's Office is told
Ventura County has a medical examiner, a forensic pathologist, in place of an elected coroner. The office says it looks into deaths that are sudden and unexpected, and every death connected with an injury or with drugs or alcohol. An investigator may come to the home.
The investigator works in the room
They may photograph it and may take medication, a phone, a wallet or other items found with the person. The office logs and secures that property.
Your relative is taken into care
If the office accepts the case, the person goes to its building at 3100 Foothill Road in Ventura. There is no viewing room there; families see their relative later, at the funeral home.
You choose a mortuary or funeral home
This is the family's decision, and it is the step that moves things forward. The Medical Examiner releases the person, together with the logged property, to the funeral home the next of kin name.
Death certificates
The Medical Examiner does not issue them. You order copies through the funeral home, or from the county's vital records office on 805-981-5172 (details here). A certificate that says “pending” means laboratory tests are still out.
The home is handed back
Officers tell you when they no longer need the rooms. From then on, cleaning is the responsibility of the family or the property owner, and this is the moment to call a cleanup company.
Paperwork
What to write down as you go
Grief makes details slip. A single sheet of paper on the fridge saves several phone calls later.
- The police or Sheriff's report number, and the name of the officer who gave it to you.
- The Medical Examiner investigator's name and the case number, if one was mentioned.
- The funeral home you chose and the person you spoke to there.
- Your insurer's claim number, once you have called them.
The full Medical Examiner report takes time, usually four to six months according to the office. Next of kin can ask for a copy on 805-641-4401.
Common worries
“Should I clean a little before relatives arrive?”
No. Close the door on the room and let people use the rest of the home. Partial cleaning spreads material and can complicate an insurance claim.
“Nobody told me the home was released.”
Call the agency that attended and give the report number. In Oxnard that is the police non-emergency desk on 805-385-7740.
“We live out of state.”
A cleanup company can meet a neighbor, a locksmith or a property manager. You will need to give permission in writing and say who may sign.
Ready when the home is
Hold off until the police and the Medical Examiner's investigator are done with the property. After that, a single call puts a cleanup firm from the Oxnard area on the phone with you. Nothing gets booked unless you say so.
Talk it over with a cleanup company
Begin wherever you like. The story does not have to come out in order, and you may hang up whenever you want.
Call (805) 946-0050Phone answered 24/7, day and night
Your call may be recorded. Read how we are paid and what we keep.