Woman Found Breathing at Funeral Home Has Died

UPDATE Jun 4, 2024 3:02 PM CDT

A woman in Nebraska who was pronounced dead at her nursing home only to be discovered breathing by a funeral home employee two hours later has died, reports the New York Times. The woman died Monday afternoon, after being transported from the funeral home to a hospital in Lincoln. An investigation into what happened is underway.

Jun 4, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

A 74-year-old woman who was in hospice care at a Nebraska nursing home was pronounced dead Monday morning and transported to a funeral home—where she was discovered to actually be alive. A funeral home employee noticed her breathing about two hours after she'd been pronounced dead, and called 911 immediately, ABC News reports. Funeral home staffers performed CPR on the woman, and she was taken to a local hospital. She was still alive as of Monday afternoon, Fox News reports.

"It's a very unusual case," the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office chief deputy told reporters. "Been doing this 31 years and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before." No criminal charges are currently pending, he said. "We have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home but the investigation is ongoing," he added. Since the woman's death was anticipated and not suspicious, the nursing home was not under an obligation to notify local authorities or the coroner's office after her death. (More strange stuff stories.)