Biohazard and Death Cleanup in Clinton County and Part of Highland County

Farm country between Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus

Clinton County had 42,018 residents in the 2020 Census, and about 70 percent of them lived in rural areas. Wilmington is the county seat and the only city. Almost the whole county drains to the Little Miami River through streams such as Todd Fork, with Caesar Creek Lake on the northwestern border and Cowan Lake State Park closer to the middle.

Interstate 71 crosses the northern third of Clinton County, while US 68 runs north to south and US 22 runs east to west. State Route 28 strings together Blanchester, New Vienna and Leesburg. Homes along these roads range from farmhouses and outbuildings on wide lots to small village houses close to the street.

Highland County, with 43,317 people in 2020 and Hillsboro as its seat, sits to the southeast and is only partly served by this line. About 74 percent of Highland County is classified as rural.

Only two Highland County ZIP codes are covered

This line covers Highland County addresses in 45135 (Leesburg) and 45142 (Lynchburg) and nothing else in that county. Hillsboro, the Rocky Fork Lake area and every other Highland County ZIP are outside the service area, and calls from there cannot be routed to a provider.

Leesburg's 45135 also shows up on postal lists for Fayette County addresses. This line follows the county a property sits in, and the Fayette County part of 45135 is not one of the covered Fayette ZIPs. If you are unsure which side of the county line a farm near Leesburg falls on, check the Highland County or Fayette County auditor's record before calling.

Lynchburg adds one more wrinkle. The village spans both Clinton and Highland counties, so a death on one street may go to the Clinton County coroner in Wilmington while a death a few blocks away goes to the Highland County coroner in Hillsboro. Both sides of Lynchburg are covered on (513) 962-0944, and the provider will simply need to know which county's paperwork applies.

Village by village: the ZIPs this page handles

Wilmington (45177) and Blanchester (45107) each have their own page. The rest of the area served here is a set of small Clinton County villages, each with one post office ZIP.

Clarksville (45113), laid out in 1816 on State Route 350, had 534 residents in 2020 and is served by the Clinton-Massie branch of the Wilmington Public Library. Martinsville (45146), platted the same year, sits on State Route 28 just west of its junction with State Route 134 and counted 416 people. Midland (45148), first called Clinton Valley, lies where Route 28 meets US 68 and had 307 residents.

New Vienna (45159), once known as Buzzard's Glory, counted 1,108 people and sits where Route 28 meets State Routes 73 and 350. Sabina (45169), about 10 miles east of Wilmington, had 2,499 residents; its post office reaches into Clinton, Fayette and Greene counties, and the postal list also names Lees Creek. A Sabina-addressed property in Greene County belongs on the (937) 200-8811 line.

In Highland County, Leesburg (45135) was laid out in 1802, named for Leesburg, Virginia, and had 1,273 residents; US 62 crosses Route 28 there on Advent Street. Lynchburg (45142), platted in 1830 and home to the Lynchburg Covered Bridge, had 1,510 people and straddles the Clinton and Highland county line.

Two coroners, two sheriffs and a morgue in Dayton

The Clinton County Coroner works from 1850 Davids Drive, Suite 105, in Wilmington. The county has no morgue, so autopsies are done under contract at the Montgomery County crime lab in Dayton, and the person is then released to the family's chosen funeral home. The Clinton County Sheriff's Office is a short way along the same road at 1645 Davids Drive.

Highland County's coroner is a Hillsboro physician whose office is at 219 West Main Street. After business hours, deaths there are reported through the Highland County Sheriff's Office at 130 Homestead Drive in Hillsboro. Wilmington and Blanchester have their own police departments, while the villages and townships lean on the sheriffs.

In Clinton or Highland County alike, the coroner's investigators and deputies leave once their part is done. The farmhouse, trailer or village home then goes back to the family or owner, and arranging the cleanup is up to them.

Farm roads, long drives and what they change

Providers serving these villages often travel out from larger towns, so give clear directions: the township road name, the nearest state route such as 28, 73 or US 68, a mailbox number, and any gate or lane details. Mention outbuildings, a well or a long gravel drive, because they affect how a crew plans the visit.

The Caesar Creek Lake and Cowan Lake areas add cabins, campers and seasonal homes to the mix, and a death or animal problem in a place that sits closed for months can go unnoticed for a while. Owners who live near Cincinnati or Dayton and keep a second property in Clinton County can usually arrange cleanup by phone and leave a key with a neighbor.

Ask how the company handles regulated medical waste from a rural Clinton or Highland County property, how its workers are trained on bloodborne pathogen safety, and whether the estimate is written. National cost guides show wide ranges, and long drives can change the picture, so compare scopes rather than guesses.

A Clinton County farm or homeowner policy may well chip in after a sudden death or a crime, but the fine print differs from one insurer to the next. Eligible crime victims may also recover up to $750 for scene cleaning from Ohio's victims compensation fund; Crime Victim Services answers at 800-282-0515.