Hospice patient pronounced dead, then funeral home sees her breathing on table, cops say
UPDATE: The 74-year-old woman died at a local hospital around 4 p.m. June 3, Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said at a June 4 news conference.
The Lancaster County Attorney ordered an autopsy, the final results of which could take up to 12 weeks to receive, Houchin said.
The investigation is ongoing, according to officials.
The original story continues below:
A 74-year-old nursing home resident believed to be dead was taken to a local funeral home — where an employee discovered she was still alive, Nebraska law enforcement said.
Law enforcement and emergency personnel were dispatched around 11:45 a.m. Monday, June 3, to a funeral home in Lincoln for a medical emergency, Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said in a press conference.
A funeral home employee placed the woman on the table “to start their process” and noticed she was breathing, Houchin said.
The staff immediately called 911, according to the chief deputy.
The woman was taken to a local hospital “and is still alive,” officials said.
Houchin said there are no signs of “criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing.”
The woman, who was pronounced dead by nursing home staff around 9:45 a.m. June 3, has been on hospice care at the nursing home, identified as The Mulberry at Waverly in a report from USA Today.
The Mulberry at Waverly declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on June 4.
The nursing home was not legally required to notify the sheriff’s office about the woman’s death because the death was “anticipated,” Houchin said.
Additionally, a doctor signed the death certificate based on his assessment of the woman within the last 7 days, which indicated her passing was not suspicious, Houchin said.
“This is a very unusual case,” Houchin said. “I’ve been doing this 31 years and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”
The woman’s family was notified that she was still alive, officials said.
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 8:45 AM.
