Miraculous Recovery: Nebraska Woman Found Alive Two Hours After Being Declared Dead
In an extraordinary incident at a Nebraska retirement home, a 74-year-old woman named Constance Glantz was found breathing two hours after being declared dead. The staff at Mulberry retirement home in Waverly pronounced her dead at 9:44 a.m. on Monday, but later that day, when her supposed corpse was moved to Butherus-Maser & Love funeral home in Lincoln, an employee noticed signs of life. The miraculous discovery prompted a swift response, with emergency services immediately transporting Glantz to a local hospital. She remains alive.
Chief Deputy Ben Houchin of the Lancaster County Sheriff’s office stated, 'This is a very unusual case. I've been doing this job for 31 years, and nothing like this has happened so far.' The situation has garnered significant attention due to the numerous procedural and investigative questions it raises. According to Houchin, no 'criminal intent' has been found on the part of the retirement home, but the investigation is ongoing to determine how the accurate status of Glantz’s life was overlooked.
Investigation Underway to Prevent Future Mistakes
The sheriff's office has opened an investigation to understand the chain of events between the declaration of Glantz’s death and the discovery of her being alive. An inquiry into how many personnel were involved in the transportation of her body and whether the protocols were followed is crucial. Houchin emphasized that while errors in declaring death are rare, they do happen. There have been recent cases, such as a similar incident in Iowa, where a 66-year-old woman was found alive in a body bag and the establishment was fined $10,000.
In this particular case, Glantz's death was considered anticipated given her palliative care status, which is why a coroner or law enforcement was not initially involved. The sheriff’s department is collaborating with the nursing home and funeral home to ensure that new protocols will be established to prevent such future incidents. The occurrence has raised awareness around the accuracy of death declarations and the importance of strict procedural adherence.
- Further developing stories like this highlight significant lapses and serve as catalysts for institutional reforms. With Constance Glantz’s family informed and involved, there is a collective focus on improving hospice and funeral home coordination.
- Such incidents stress the need to reevaluate the guidelines around 'anticipated deaths' and the involvement of medical and law enforcement officials to prevent any oversights. Constance Glantz's current condition remains under medical observation, but the unfolding details will likely prompt critical changes in how end-of-life care and post-mortem procedures are managed in the future.
