A woman believed to be dead was discovered alive at a funeral home in Lincoln, Nebraska on Monday, according to multiple reports.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, was originally pronounced dead at an unspecified nursing home and transported to Butherus Maser & Love Funeral Home for preparation of her body for burial.
However, during the process of preparing her body for embalming, a staff member noticed that she was still breathing. The employee immediately called 911 and emergency services arrived at the scene to transport the woman to a local hospital where she remains alive as of Monday afternoon.
The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating the incident but has not found any criminal intent by the nursing home at this time.
According to reports, the woman had been in hospice care at the nursing home prior to being pronounced dead. It is unclear how long she had been in hospice or if she had any underlying medical conditions that may have contributed to her being misidentified as deceased.
This incident is not without precedent, as there have been similar cases of individuals being discovered alive after they were believed to be dead and transported to funeral homes. In 2018, a South African woman was pronounced dead at the scene of a car wreck but was later found breathing in a mortuary.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing and more information will be released as it becomes available.
