Losing a loved one to violence is hard enough, without the added pressure from legal gaps and unfair laws that complicate the grief experience. Here are just four examples.
1. Lack of Regulation for Biohazard Cleanup Companies
Many states do not require any licensing or oversight for crime scene cleanup companies (“biohazard remediation”). People with little to no training can simply buy the equipment, get a business license, and get to work. These shoddy companies rely on convincing websites, social media posts, and other outlets to lure customers. The consumer has little recourse for shoddy work, prohibition against posting graphic before and after videos of the residence or business on social media, and no oversight against exorbitant costs and hidden fees. Since the customer is usually deep in grief and has a sense of urgency, they are extra vulnerable to back-yard businesses. Buyer beware! The best bet is to consult with the American Biorecovery Association for a referral. (See blog post from 9/20/23 for additional information.)
Example: In 2019, ProPublica and NPR published an investigation into a crime scene cleanup company that charged families tens of thousands of dollars for questionable services. One Colorado widow was billed over $20,000 to clean a bedroom after her husband’s suicide. She wasn’t told her homeowners’ insurance would have covered it, and the company placed a mechanic’s lien on her home when she couldn’t pay.
🔗 Source: “The Crime Scene Cleaners Who May Overcharge Victims’ Families,” ProPublica (2019)
2. Freedom of Information Laws That Allow Graphic Details to Be Released
We would think that common sense and respect for families going through a tragedy would be sufficient to keep private details of the death private. But news outlets, quick to get clickbait or “scoops,” will pay morgue personnel under the table for photographs of the deceased. Just as distressing is the fact that there is an audience ready to consume such images. The Freedom of Information Laws do not prohibit this dissemination of these tragic photos.
Example: After the 2018 murder of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa, news outlets published parts of her autopsy report, including details about her injuries and cause of death. The release, though legal under Iowa’s public records law, was deeply distressing to her family — who had no control over the information being broadcast.
💬 Her father publicly urged people to remember Mollie for how she lived, not how she died.
3. True Crime Content Laws (or Lack Thereof)
Powerful production companies, like Netflix, will produce re-creations of crimes for their profit in made-for-TV docudramas. This is done without the awareness or consent of people directly involved. This essentially re-traumatizes them for the sake of public entertainment.
Example: The family of murder victim Meredith Kercher (whose death was at the center of the Amanda Knox case) has repeatedly spoken out against media and film portrayals. In particular, they were blindsided by a Netflix documentary and a fictionalized film (“Stillwater”) loosely inspired by the case, neither of which consulted or notified them beforehand.
🎥 Their grief was turned into entertainment without consent, and they had little legal ability to intervene.
4. Public Mapping of Murder Locations
The fact that a murder occurred under the roof of a residence or business has long-lasting ramifications. So-called “death tourists” will frequent such addresses, sometimes to have their photograph taken or to steal a “souvenir.” Their presence is distressing to the residents (and neighbors) who may still live inside. If they are trying to sell their structure, the listing price will be impacted and cause fewer people to want to purchase it. The usual range of depreciation is 15% – 25% and lasts for three years.
Example: A popular real estate website once listed a California home with a clickable note: “Site of 1993 homicide involving a love triangle.” The detail was added as a selling point under the “history” tab, drawing curiosity-seekers. The victim’s family had no knowledge or control over this exposure, and the current occupants faced unwelcome attention.
🗺️ Other sites like Housecreep.com and DiedInHouse.com also catalog murder homes for public viewing, often without regard to surviving families.
Unfortunately, homicide survivors are not protesting in large numbers. Many are unaware these injustices occur until they impact them.
