Crime scene cleaner tells us

“Relatives call us ‘angels’ – out of gratitude”

The logo of his company can often be seen on cars all over Austria, but only rarely when Daniel Hodzic and his team go out has a crime been committed.

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder)

Time and again, people are left lying unnoticed in their own homes for a long time after their death. When worried relatives and neighbors raise the alarm, Daniel Hodzic, a "crime scene cleaner" by profession, is often called in. He is usually at work away from crime scenes - where Father Death has quietly and unnoticed been a guest.

"OÖ Krone": Mr. Hodzic, how can we imagine the process of your work?
Daniel Hodzic: Many people think that we remove the body ourselves. But that's not true: the police usually come first, open the door to the apartment or house and have a look. We are only called in once they have determined that the death is harmless, i.e. that it does not appear to be the fault of a third party. The mortician then takes the body away, but often, in addition to all the side effects, parts and remains are left behind, which we are then responsible for disposing of. But we don't just clean up crime scenes, we also clean up messy apartments, for example.