Located in San Diego County, National City is a community with about 60,000 residents. A community that is home to growing families, it is also the city in San Diego County with the highest violent crime and gang rates. The disparity found in the community is illustrated by a pair of its better-known citizens. Lukas Walton, scion of Walmart and worth over $15 billion, calls National City Home. Andrew Cunanan, a spree killer who took the life of iconic designer Gianni Versace, called National City home as well. Although his killings didn’t occur in the city, the story of Andrew Cunanan underscores some of the types of situations in which biohazard cleanup in National City can be required.
Situations That Require Biohazard Cleanup in National City
There are some specific situations that most commonly require biohazard remediation in National City. These situations include:
- Homicides
- Suicides
- Undiscovered or unattended deaths
- Hoarding
- Accidental death
- Accidental injury
- Rodent problem (including droppings)
Because of the nature of horrific events like suicide or homicide, these traumatic incidents provide grim and yet keenly illustrative examples of what is involved in biohazard cleanup. The three-month saga of National City resident Andrew Cunanan presents textbook examples of challenges associated with biohazard remediation.
The Gruesome Cross-Country Trek of National City Resident Andrew Cunanan
Spree killer left San Diego County in April 1997 and flew to Minneapolis, where two men with whom he had prior intimate relationships of some sort resided. He stayed in the apartment of one of the men. During his first couple of days in Minneapolis, Cunanan savagely beat the other gentleman to death with a claw hammer in the apartment in which he stayed. Cunanan then forced the apartment renter, the other man he had a previous relationship of some sort, to flee the city with him. Within a couple more days, Cunanan shot this man to death in an open field next to a lake.
The remains of the man found in the apartment were discovered a few days after the murder. The man shot at the lake similarly were discovered a day or two after the murder. The scene at the apartment was horrific. Blood and other biological matter were splattered throughout the room where the murder occurred. The decomposing remains were rolled up in an area rug.
The apartment scene underscores what an apartment or homeowner can face in the way of needed biohazard cleanup following a homicide or even a suicide. The physical state of the death scene can truly prove to be overwhelming.
Cunanan then traveled to Chicago where he murdered a well-known developer named Lee Miglin, the spouse of Marilyn Miglin who herself was and remains a fixture on television shopping channels for her cosmetic lines. This murder occurred in the residence’s garage and involved stabbing and shattering the man’s ribs with a box of raw cement. In this case, the homicide cleanup was more contained and not nearly as challenging as what was faced at the scene of the claw hammer murder.
Cunanan would then shoot a cemetery manager in order to steal his car, that death occurring in the cemetery offices. The biohazard cleanup of that scene was akin to a “typical” homicide or suicide by firearm.
Finally, Cunanan would venture to South Beach in Florida. Here he would shoot fashion designer Gianni Versace at the gate of the man’s beachfront mansion. The cleanup focused on stone and concrete steps fronting the estate.
A few days later, Cunanan himself would commit suicide by firearm in the bed of a houseboat where he hid from authorities. This death scene yet underscored what commonly is confronted when suicide by firearm occurs. The mattress was saturated by blood, with the walls themselves splattered with blood and other biological materials.
The Aftermath of a Tragic, Traumatic Event and Biohazard Cleanup in National City
The case of Andrew Cunanan illustrates how family members, property owners, and business managers face the prospect of biohazard remediation, including National City biohazard cleanup. The stark reality is that individuals in these positions following a traumatic death are already facing emotional daunting situations. Further emotional trauma should not be added to their lives as a result of personally undertaking biohazard remediation in National City. This reality illustrated the need for engaging a professional biohazard cleanup in National City specialist.
Steps of Comprehensive National City Biohazard Cleanup
Safe, comprehensive, effective biohazard remediation is a four-phase process that begins with cleaning up biological substances and the scene as well as items that have been contaminated by matter like blood and bodily fluids.
The next step of biohazard cleanup is the sanitization of the scene. Blood and bodily fluids can contain dangerous pathogens capable of spreading infectious diseases. Thus, it is imperative that these pathogens be thoroughly eliminated from the scene. After sanitizing the scene, the deodorization phase occurs, a process designed to eradicate any foul odors at the death scene.
The ultimate objective of biohazard remediation is the final phase of this type of cleanup. The ultimate objective of biohazard cleanup in National City is the restoration of a residence to a fully livable condition or the restoration of a business to its useful purpose.