Unattended Death Cleanup in Austin, TX

Austin in particular

Travis County publishes three separate figures about its own timing, and they are different clocks that families routinely confuse. On the examination: “It generally takes 12 to 24 hours to complete our examination. In certain cases, however, it may take longer.” On the paperwork: the Medical Examiner's Office “will work with the designated funeral home to complete a death certificate within 10 working days” — the office and the funeral home together, not the funeral home alone. And on the file: “depending upon the complexity of such tests or investigations, it may take up to 90 days for the autopsy report to be finalized.” One thing it does not do is give you copies of the certificate. The office states that death certificates may be obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the city where the death occurred, from the justice of the peace, or from your funeral home. The office is at 7723 Springdale Road, on (512) 854-9599. Austin's non-emergency policing is also unlike the rest of this network, and it catches people out. There is no dedicated seven-digit non-emergency line for callers inside the city: the department directs you to iReportAustin.com for non-emergency incident reporting, or to 3-1-1 — and publishes 512-974-2000 specifically for callers from outside Austin. If you are standing outside the property, 3-1-1 is the number; if you are arranging things from another city, it is the seven-digit one. The housing is the real difference between an Austin case and a Houston one. Austin has 30,504 households that are a person aged 65 or over living alone — 6.7% of households, the lowest share of the large cities here — and its stock is the newest: a median build year of 1994, a rental median of 1998, and only 28.3% of homes predating 1980. Newer stock generally means fewer of the deep, hidden voids that make an older house expensive to put right — but it does not mean less damage, and it is not a reason to accept a price quoted before anyone has lifted a floor covering. 56.6% of occupied homes are rented and 72,586 renter households are in buildings of fifty units or more, so access is often through a manager rather than a family.

Who releases the property in Travis County

The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office examines and releases the person. The property is a separate matter, handled by the police, and neither office offers to clean it.

Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office →

Why this happens here

30,504 households in Austin are a person aged 65 or over living alone — 6.7% of every household in the city. That is the situation most often found days or weeks later by a relative, a landlord or a welfare check.

Census table B11007 — 65+ living alone →

What the building age changes

The median Austin home was built in 1994, and 28.3% of the stock predates 1980. Older floor assemblies absorb and hold fluid differently, which is why an estimate given over the phone before anyone has lifted a floor covering is worth very little.