WEB DESK: An extraordinary turn of events unfolded on Tuesday when a 74-year-old woman, believed to be deceased by hospital staff, regained consciousness at a funeral home in Lancashire County.
The remarkable incident took place at a nursing home in the county, where the woman, identified as Constance Glantz, was initially pronounced dead by medical personnel. However, two hours later, mortuary staff made the astonishing discovery that she was, in fact, alive.
During a press briefing livestreamed on Tuesday, Chief Deputy Ben Houchin of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office described the event as highly unusual. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before,” he remarked.
According to Deputy Houchin, the sequence of events unfolded when a funeral home employee placed the woman’s body on a table and realized she was breathing. He further explained that a physician who had seen her within the last seven days was willing to sign the death certificate, and there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident.
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The nursing home had officially declared the woman deceased at 9:44 am on June 3, after which her body was transferred to the funeral home. However, it wasn’t until 11:45 am, two hours later, that funeral home staff alerted paramedics and the police upon discovering signs of life.
As of now, the management of the nursing home has refrained from making any public statements regarding the incident, while the woman’s family has been informed about the situation. Authorities have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Dr. Stephen Hughes, a senior lecturer in medicine at Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Medicine in Chelmsford, shed light on the standard protocol for determining death, which involves checking for vital signs such as heartbeat and breathing. He also noted that certain medications can slow bodily functions, potentially leading to mistaken declarations of death.
