After an 82-year-old woman appeared to pass away at Water’s Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson, New York, she was transported to a nearby funeral home. Three hours later, she was alive and breathing.
According to police, CNN reports, the still-unnamed woman was taken to the hospital.
This naturally prompted health department and police investigations. CNN reports that Suffolk County police and the New York State Department of Health are investigating the case. The Health Department said it could not offer further comment as the investigation is ongoing.
Police also reportedly said the case had been brought to the attention of the New York State Attorney General’s office, which a spokesperson said was conducting an examination of the matter. The AG’s office told CNN that this “is an awful situation that caused unnecessary trauma for the impacted resident and her loved ones.”
The woman was found alive in O.B. Davis Funeral Home in Miller Place, NY. The home told WABC that to respect “the privacy and confidentiality of the families we are honored to serve, we are not in a position to comment further on this matter.”
Incidents of people being pronounced dead and then found alive have occurred in the past. In some cases, these incidents have been attributed to human error or misinterpretation of vital signs, while in others, they have resulted from medical conditions that mimic death. CNN reported less than a week ago on a woman found alive when a funeral director opened her body bag at an Iowa funeral home.
Now the Alzheimer’s facility where she was pronounced dead is facing up to $10,000 in fines. The Iowa funeral home issued a nearly identical statement to the New York funeral home: “Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the families we are honored to serve, we are not in a position to comment further on this matter.”
