#GrievingFamily #WellnessCheck #Autopsy #Coroner #PoliceInvestigation #GrievingProcess
Losing a loved one unexpectedly can be an incredibly challenging and overwhelming experience. If you have recently found yourself in a situation where you discovered your adult daughter deceased in her apartment, you are likely grappling with a wide range of emotions and questions. The uncertainty surrounding the circumstances of her passing, as well as the practical steps that need to be taken, can add an extra layer of stress and confusion during an already difficult time.
Steps to Take After Discovering Your Adult Daughter’s Passing:
1. **Get the Autopsy Report:** The first step in understanding the cause of your daughter’s death is to await the results of the autopsy conducted by the Coroner’s Office. This report will provide valuable information that may help bring closure to your family.
2. **Coordinate with Police:** It is essential to work closely with law enforcement officials who are handling the investigation. They may have confiscated your daughter’s electronics and valuables for forensic analysis. Contact the investigating officer to inquire about when you can retrieve these items.
3. **Gain Access to the Sealed Apartment:** In order to begin the process of cleaning out your daughter’s belongings and settling her affairs, you will need to request access to her sealed apartment from the authorities. Make sure to follow the necessary protocols and paperwork required by the police department.
4. **Handle Personal Belongings:** Once you have obtained permission to access the apartment, collect her laptop, phone, wallet, and any other personal items that may hold sentimental or practical value. These belongings can provide valuable insights into her life and contacts.
Dealing with Financial Matters:
1. **Credit Cards and Bank Accounts:** Contact the banks and credit card companies where your daughter held accounts to inform them of her passing. They will guide you through the process of closing her accounts and settling any outstanding debts.
2. **Life Insurance and Company Benefits:** If your daughter had life insurance policies or benefits through her employer, reach out to the respective providers to initiate the claims process. This will ensure that you receive the financial support that she had in place for her loved ones.
3. **Paychecks and Unsettled Debts:** If your daughter was still owed paychecks or had outstanding debts, it is important to follow up with her employer and creditors to settle these matters. This will help avoid any legal complications in the future.
In times of grief and loss, it is essential to seek support from family, friends, and professional resources. Remember that you are not alone in navigating this challenging period, and reaching out for help is a sign of strength. Take one step at a time, prioritize self-care, and lean on your loved ones for emotional support. Healing from such a profound loss takes time, but with patience and perseverance, you will find moments of peace and solace along the way. Stay strong, and know that brighter days lie ahead. 💔🕊️
Is there a list of steps of what parents or siblings need to do & timing? Starting from getting the autopsy, finding a funeral home, gaining access from Police to sealed off apt, getting laptop/phone/wallet from Precinct? Dealing with credit cards & closing bank accounts, life insurance & company benefits & paychecks she was still owed. Thank you in advance. From a grieving sibling & parents.
I am sorry for you and your families loss.
A bunch of your questions are going to have answers dependent on what the cause of death is determined to be.
If it was natural causes, you should be able to get access to any items the police took as evidence, easy enough. A police report should have been generated and hopefully the police or the medical examiner’s office (coroner) provided it to the next of kin. With the police report number, call the police department that is handling the investigation and ask if a detective has been assigned the case, and if so, ask to be put in contact with that detective. They should be able to help explain the process to get her stuff from them.
The coroner’s office will also be able to explain the process for getting a copy of the autopsy report and point you in the right direction for funeral homes and things of that nature.
The apartment itself, after the police release it, will depend on the apartment complex. They may allow family into the apartment without issues but they also may not and then her next of kin will likely have to get a court order to force the apartment complex to give access.
If they determine that the cause of death is some form of homicide, then most of the stuff that was taken might be classified as evidence and it will take longer for it to be released to the next of kin, if it even can be released. Evidence for a homicide could be held all the way through any criminal court and subsequent appeals process.
I have no advice on the questions of life insurance, bank accounts, company benefits or paychecks, except to start reaching out to those entities and notifying them of her passing. I am sorry.
I am so sorry. Just know you will need to do this years taxes and a final death taxes next year after all assets are probated. Get about 10 copies of the death certificate. Notify the utilities, the bank, their job. Keep the cell phone number operating until you get it back and see if it can be unlocked. Depending on COD will determine how quickly you can get their things. Pay April rent so you have the month and they don’t trash everything. Speak to the management co or landlord tomorrow to get this done asap. Tell them you don’t want a new tenancy, you just need the month to organize and box all items. Get the car and title, if not paid off, decide if selling or what to do with it. You will have to wait for the police to finish their investigation before you can make arrangements. I would reach out to the detective and ask what is the eta and what are the procedures. You will need to probate everything. You should notify creditors and will only use estate assets to pay the bills. After the money is gone from the estate, that is it. Do not assume any bills, including the rent. Explain that the lease is broken due to the passing of the resident. It is extremely important not to assume the tenancy. Ask them what process they have to do all of this.
I am so sorry. Please be gentle with yourself. Hugs to you and your family.
Estate lawyer here. Not your lawyer or really even giving legal advice.
Step back and take a breath first. Most importantly, you need to grieve and take care of yourself. Companies have procedures set up because people die all the time so don’t go crazy trying to take care of everything at once and right now. Typically, everything just gets halted or brought back to the date of death. So take care of yourself first and take care of her.
I can only advise for my state but I’d contact a probate lawyer. My first order of business is to determine if there’s probatable assets or not. If not, then the question is walk away or what? If so, then what kind of proceeding are we going to need to do. Then comes determining what companies will need to be dealt with. I’d probably suggest paying the next months rent and then being reimbursed by the estate. Hopefully the complex will allow an early lease termination, even if there’s a fee involved.
I consider probates to be like divorces: get through it as quick and painlessly as possible. But again, take care of yourself and your loved ones first.