Death is difficult to deal with no matter how it occurs, but some situations can be more challenging than others. Homicides fall into the more challenging group.
Providing death care after a homicide can be a very complex process that needs to be handled somewhat differently than other deaths. The process won’t be the same from the very beginning, and there are additional procedures that have to be followed. All of this coincides with extremely heightened emotions as the family deals with one of the worst things that can happen in life.
The death care system is designed to address these special circumstances. The disposition process will unfold a little differently, and there’s more for the funeral home and family to handle. Even if you’ve planned funeral services in the past, you’ll need to be prepared for a different experience when the death is the result of a homicide.
Working With the Medical Examiner’s Office
One of the first and most notable differences between a homicide and typical deaths is that the medical examiner’s office will be involved. A death investigation will need to happen. How long that will take can be hard to determine in the beginning. The body isn’t necessary for the entirety of the investigation in most cases, but it might take a day or two for the medical examiner to perform the autopsy.
Even if a full autopsy doesn’t have to be performed to determine the cause and manner of death, the medical examiner will need to physically inspect the body and perform other tests.
All of this takes time and extra coordination between the funeral home and medical examiner’s office, but it’s an understandable part of the process. Our team will put in whatever amount of effort is needed to ensure a smooth transition from the medical examiner’s office to our cremation facilities. And it will require additional effort, so the funeral home should be prepared for that from the onset.
Keeping the Bodies Apart
Here in Texas, there’s a lot of respect for the deceased and their relatives. So much so, that if a person is the victim of a homicide their body will be kept apart from the perpetrator if they too are deceased.
It’s a situation that can arise in the event of a mass shooting as well as murder-suicide cases. The issue is more common in smaller communities where there may only be one funeral home or limited medical examiner facilities.
Viewing Services Could Be Limited
Depending on the nature of the death or the condition that the body was found in, the option for a viewing could be limited or not possible. The funeral director should be upfront with family members about what’s possible given the injuries and body’s condition.
The family members should also consider how an open-casket viewing could affect others. Anyone who is unaware of the nature of the death could be significantly impacted, and it still may be too overwhelming for those who are privy to the circumstances of the death.
Helping Families Get Victim Compensation
We all know that funeral services can be very expensive. The traditional burial is now $7,848. That’s a huge expense, but when a person is a victim of homicide there are other direct and indirect costs for the family. For example, crime scene clean-up services may be required. Family members may also need therapy after the traumatic event.
Many states have victim compensation programs that provide assistance with funeral costs and other expenses related to a death that results from violence. The Crime Victims’ Compensation (CVC) Program here in Texas provides compensation to the families of victims to cover a broad range of expenses including:
- Funeral expenses
- Loss of income
- Child care expenses
- Medical expenses
- Counseling and mental health care
This is a short list of the coverage that can be provided to help families not be shouldered with the additional burden of debt after a loved one is the victim of homicide.
Families Are Dealing With a Lot More Than the Death
All this points to one painfully clear fact – the families of homicide victims are dealing with more than death. They are trying to wrap their heads around the fact their loved one was suddenly taken in a malicious, often violent manner.
Often there are a lot of unanswered questions connected to a homicide, and what the family wants most is answers to those questions. But the answers could take a while or may never come. It adds a layer of emotional distress to the entire experience. Not knowing the full story of what happened to a loved one can make closure very difficult and prolong the grief process.
Funeral directors and anyone interacting with the family members need to be conscious of how stressful the period shortly after the death can be. The family is waiting to receive the autopsy report and hoping a suspect will be apprehended. Emotions will be running high, and people need to be given grace.
The priority for the funeral home is making everything else as low-stress as possible for the family. The funeral director should be anticipating needs, keeping the family well informed and covering the details as much as possible.
If you are in Texas and need assistance navigating the death care system after a loved one’s homicide, Cremation.Green is here to help you. We can ensure that all of the legal requirements are handled, the disposition is completed in a timely manner and you get the support you need.
Our team is available by phone, text or email 24 hours a day.