diff --git a/pkg/proc/native/proc.go b/pkg/proc/native/proc.go
index 500072ecd436954974d323e58111ee003a407cdf..336e760ca3b7db302eed8fbe1d216d916ca0438d 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/native/proc.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/native/proc.go
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ type Process struct {
 	exited                      bool
 	ptraceChan                  chan func()
 	ptraceDoneChan              chan interface{}
+	childProcess                bool // this process was launched, not attached to
 }
 
 // New returns an initialized Process struct. Before returning,
@@ -71,6 +72,14 @@ func (dbp *Process) Detach(kill bool) (err error) {
 	if dbp.exited {
 		return nil
 	}
+	if kill && dbp.childProcess {
+		err := dbp.Kill()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		dbp.bi.Close()
+		return nil
+	}
 	if dbp.Running() {
 		if err = dbp.Halt(); err != nil {
 			return
diff --git a/pkg/proc/native/proc_darwin.go b/pkg/proc/native/proc_darwin.go
index ef8703898217f77d2356bb5833f7af3454031a57..5333819ec627bfd735630355b60e492a4aa5a99e 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/native/proc_darwin.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/native/proc_darwin.go
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ func Launch(cmd []string, wd string) (*Process, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not fork/exec")
 	}
 	dbp.pid = pid
+	dbp.childProcess = true
 	for i := range argvSlice {
 		C.free(unsafe.Pointer(argvSlice[i]))
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/proc/native/proc_linux.go b/pkg/proc/native/proc_linux.go
index eabc6b88f3f6be82b45d7df79660e3301993829b..b04274ecc80948ef1428c3b347b06523c8d00ece 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/native/proc_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/native/proc_linux.go
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ func Launch(cmd []string, wd string) (*Process, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	dbp.pid = process.Process.Pid
+	dbp.childProcess = true
 	_, _, err = dbp.wait(process.Process.Pid, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("waiting for target execve failed: %s", err)
diff --git a/pkg/proc/native/proc_windows.go b/pkg/proc/native/proc_windows.go
index 11461e96bb6576712da3aac59af1bfb68aecac79..5741479a35e9938809de07a2c3fcf20eb385f23a 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/native/proc_windows.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/native/proc_windows.go
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ func Launch(cmd []string, wd string) (*Process, error) {
 	sys.CloseHandle(sys.Handle(pi.Thread))
 
 	dbp.pid = int(pi.ProcessId)
+	dbp.childProcess = true
 
 	return newDebugProcess(dbp, argv0Go)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/proc/proc_test.go b/pkg/proc/proc_test.go
index 0e10d779ceab37471c70e0b0141b3e62b5ef4117..f62e36c6c7b2e57241924aef6fcd4c62849d1ae5 100644
--- a/pkg/proc/proc_test.go
+++ b/pkg/proc/proc_test.go
@@ -918,6 +918,20 @@ func TestKill(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 		}
 	})
+	withTestProcess("testprog", t, func(p proc.Process, fixture protest.Fixture) {
+		if err := p.Detach(true); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if p.Exited() != true {
+			t.Fatal("expected process to have exited")
+		}
+		if runtime.GOOS == "linux" {
+			_, err := os.Open(fmt.Sprintf("/proc/%d/", p.Pid()))
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatal("process has not exited", p.Pid())
+			}
+		}
+	})
 }
 
 func testGSupportFunc(name string, t *testing.T, p proc.Process, fixture protest.Fixture) {