Guide
When someone dies at home: the order of things
This is the usual order of things in Knox, Blount and Anderson counties. You do not have to do it all today.
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Step by step
Call 911
When a death at home is sudden or unexpected, call 911 first. Police or deputies come, and so may paramedics.
The medical examiner is told
Tennessee law requires deaths from violence, sudden deaths of people who seemed well, and people found dead to be reported to the county medical examiner. For Knox, Blount and Anderson counties that is the Knox County Regional Forensic Center. The report goes to the county where the death happened.
The examination
A medical examiner decides whether an autopsy is needed. The center does not allow viewings there. If it becomes a medical examiner case, the medical examiner signs the death certificate.
Choose a funeral home or crematorium
Tell them where your loved one is. They arrange the pickup with the center once the examination is done. Belongings travel with your loved one to the funeral home unless investigators need them.
The home is released
Police and investigators leave. From then on, the home and its cleanup are the family's or the owner's responsibility.
Cleanup
Call a biohazard cleanup company when you are ready. Keep the room closed until then.
Numbers you may need
Regional Forensic Center
Business office: 865-215-8000, 8:00 to 4:30 on weekdays (contact page).
2907 Production Lane, Knoxville.
Death certificates
From the funeral home, or from Knox County Health Department Vital Records, 140 Dameron Avenue, (865) 215-5100, weekdays 8:00 to 4:30.
The autopsy report
Expect three to six months. You can ask about its status by calling the center in business hours (family questions).
Cremation
If your loved one is to be cremated, the medical examiner has to be told even when the death was expected. Tennessee requires it for every cremation. The funeral home or crematorium usually handles this.
When the home has been released
Call when you are ready. A cleanup company can come the same day or later, as you prefer.
Speak with a cleanup company
An independent company that works around Knoxville answers. Tell them what happened and where, then ask how they would handle it and how they price the job. The choice to go ahead is yours alone.
Call (865) 276-0393Reachable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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