Question about attempted suicides and police protocol (Ohio)

[lazarillo]

Hi,

My 18-year-old sister, who we'll call Sally for the sake of ease, attempted to kill herself sometime early this morning (I'm going to say sometime around 2 in the morning, because my siblings and I all received a text from her telling us she loved us and we had to be strong for her). Needless to say, it has been a particularly stressful Saturday, and I'm currently caught in a debate over the situation. I do not want to contribute to the stress my family is already experiencing, but I'm struggling to believe the events as they've been explained to me.

When I initially spoke to my mother, she told me that she didn't know Sally attempted to kill herself until she arrived at the hospital. Mom said Sally's roommate called the police when my sister scared her roommate after Sally started acting "strangely". There was something mentioned about my sister's car being impounded (not sure what it had to do with the whole story), and my mom said she talked with the local police department to make sure that nothing was said in the local paper to "protect Sally's reputation".
Before I spoke to my mom, my siblings and I were aware that my sister was in the hospital because her roommate had texted us as well, and Sally's above-mentioned text message from this morning left us with the suspicion that she attempted suicide. But when I asked my mother directly what happened, she danced around the subject entirely. My mom has a habit of obfuscating the truth and controlling information because it helps her cope with stress, but her coping mechanism only works at the expense of everyone else's understanding of this situation. Which brings me to my question:

When an adult attempts to kill themselves and the police are involved, do the officers inform the attempted suicide's relatives, assuming the relatives live nearby or can be reached?

[retdetsgt]

If it's only attempted, no. Not unless the person is a juvenile.

[lazarillo]

Alright. Thank ya kindly for the information.

[steelcityk9cop]

Many times in situations like you detailed, family involvement and support can be just what is needed. The patients right ti privacy trumps all.

[mcsap]

Sometimes yes. To care for or to take custody of property and or the hospital will attempt to make the notification.

[marinepilot]

Moved to regular Ask-A-Cop section.