How do you take down a deceased family member’s Facebook profile?

From the mailbag this morning:

My son passed away Jan 10, 2013 and still has an active site on facebook.  A friend of his is posting messages from him in heaven to his family and we feel that this is inappropriate. How can I get this site closed?

Any suggestions on how this mom can take down her deceased son’s Facebook profile?

Author: Lee Aase

Husband of one, father of six, grandfather of 15. Chancellor Emeritus, SMUG. Emeritus staff of Mayo Clinic. Founder of HELPcare and Administrator for HELPcare Clinic.

4 thoughts on “How do you take down a deceased family member’s Facebook profile?”

  1. While taking down the site may be appropriate, I have a bias toward addressing inappropriate behavior directly (especially when it’s a single person that you can contact), and keeping the valuable aspects of the page’s availability. A cousin of mine died a couple of years ago, and there are several of us that visit her page and write various things occasionally. It’s comforting to grieve with others – and social media can help with that. I would suggest a respectful message to the person who is causing the distress and asking that he please stop – others can continue to view his site, pictures, or post on his wall as appropriate.

  2. I’ve submitted the requested paperwork, the death certificate, my info as her mother about 4 months ago and nothing! I find this very rude and extremely disrespectful.
    Is Facebook really that busy they can’t hire people to take down the deceased profiles???
    Gimme a break!

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