An investigation is underway after a woman in Nebraska, initially declared dead by nursing home staff on June 3, 2024, was later found alive at a funeral home.
Constance Glantz, 74, was pronounced dead at 9:44 a.m. by staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly, northeast of Lincoln, Nebraska. In a stunning turn of events, however, she was discovered breathing by funeral home workers in Lincoln around two hours later.
At a Monday afternoon press briefing, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ben Houchin remarked, “In my 31 years of service, I have never encountered a case like this before. It is extremely unusual.”
Glantz, a hospice care patient at the time, was transferred from the nursing home to Butherus, Maser & Love Funeral Home. As the funeral home staff was preparing to deal with what they believed to be her remains, an employee noticed signs of life and initiated CPR. “They instantly called 911,” Houchin said. Responding to the call were Lincoln police and fire and rescue department, who transported Glantz to a local hospital. Unfortunately, she passed away a few hours later.
The call from the funeral home to emergency services was made around 11:45 a.m., about two hours after Glantz had been declared dead.
The sheriff’s office has initiated an investigation into the incident and has briefed Glantz’s family on the situation. “So far, we have not identified any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is still in progress,” Houchin stated.
When asked about how many people had seen Glantz between her presumed death and the discovery of her being alive, Houchin couldn’t provide a definitive answer, but noted that typically at least two people are involved in transporting a body. “I expect the nursing home and others will thoroughly review the incident, evaluate if new protocols are needed, and ensure all existing procedures were followed,” he added.
Houchin clarified that the circumstances of Glantz’s death did not necessitate a coroner’s investigation. “The death of a patient is anticipated – which this was – and a physician had seen her in the last seven days and was willing to sign the death certificate, and there was nothing suspicious at the time of death. That’s why the sheriff’s office was not initially sent to the nursing home,” he explained.
Instances of people being erroneously declared dead have happened before. Last year, an Iowa Alzheimer’s care facility was fined $10,000 after a woman was declared dead, only to be found alive when a funeral director unzipped her body bag. In a similar case, a woman in Ecuador was found alive in her coffin during her wake, hours after being declared dead.