What to Do First After a Death or Trauma at Home in Story County
Last updated 2026-05-15
Let authorities release the scene first
Before anything else, Story County authorities need to complete their work and formally release the scene. This step protects both the investigation and your own safety, and it must happen before any cleanup begins, no exceptions, whether the property is a family home or a Campustown rental unit shared by several roommates who all have a stake in what happens next. It can feel like a long wait, but it is a necessary one.
Please do not clean it yourself
It can be tempting to want the space cleaned up quickly, especially if a roommate or tenant is eager to move past a painful moment. But biological hazards require certified handling, and attempting it yourself puts your health at risk without actually solving the underlying problem, since household products cannot fully neutralize what is left behind on porous surfaces like carpet or drywall in an older home. What looks clean on the surface can still carry real risk.
Call when you are ready, we work with landlords and families
There is no pressure to call the moment the scene is released. Reach out whenever you feel ready, and our crew will explain each step of the process in plain language, whether you are a family member, a roommate, or a landlord coordinating the call on behalf of a property you manage from near or far, in Ames or out of state entirely.
Story County's dual community
Ames' population shifts heavily with the university calendar, and a welfare-check or unattended-death call can just as easily involve a landlord or roommate as it can a family member. Whatever the situation, we treat every property and every caller with the same care and discretion, without judgment about who is on the other end of the line or how the call came in to us, whatever time of the year it happens to be.
We are here when you need us
Losing someone or facing trauma at home is never easy, whether you are a longtime Ames family or a Campustown property manager. Call our crew whenever you are ready, and let us handle the rest with compassion and a clear, respectful process from the first call to the final walkthrough of the property, start to finish, every single time we are needed most.