A 20-year-old Michigan woman was found alive at a funeral home on Sunday after going into cardiac arrest and being pronounced dead by paramedics.
More than 24 hours later, her mother says she is clinging to life at a hospital.
The bizarre incident worthy of a horror movie began unfolding just after 7.30am on Sunday in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, where the unnamed young woman was found unresponsive at her home.
The patient’s family called 911 and paramedics from the Southfield Fire Department responded to the address and found the woman not breathing.
A 20-year-old woman was found alive and breathing at James H Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit on Sunday after being declared dead by paramedics
According to a statement from Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee, the first responders performed CPR and other ‘life reviving methods’ for 30 minutes.
‘Given medical readings and the condition of the patient, it was determined at that time that she did not have signs of life,’ the statement read.
ClickOnDetroit reported that unnamed sources with knowledge of the case claimed that Southfield police officers observed the patient move and breathe, and summoned the EMTs back, but the paramedics allegedly claimed those were just side effects of the medication given to her.
Oakland County spokesperson William Mullan told DailyMail.com over the phone that after pronouncing the woman dead, the EMTs followed standard operating procedure and contacted an emergency room physician at an area hospital, who reviewed the patient’s medical data and declared her deceased.
The Southfield paramedics then called the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office, saying that an official death declaration has been made for the patient and there was no suspicion of foul play.
Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee said in a statement paramedics spent 30 minutes performing CPR on the woman before it was determined she had ‘no signs of life’
Based on the information from the fire department and the ER doctor, a forensic pathologist released the body, which was still at home, directly to her family to make funeral arrangements.
By noon, the woman who was believed to be dead was picked up and taken to James H Cole Home for Funerals in Detroit, where employees quickly discovered she was still alive and breathing.
The management of the mortuary confirmed the facts of the case in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying that staff summoned Detroit Fire Department paramedics, who arrived and transported the woman to a hospital.
‘We couldn’t believe it,’ said Dave Fornell, deputy commissioner of the Detroit Fire Department, who added that her heart rate was 80.
The 20-year-old remained hospitalized as of this afternoon, but her mother said she might not survive.
Speaking to ClickOnDetroit, the mother said her family, including her daughter’s twin brother and an older brother, are devastated by the harrowing ordeal.
‘Somebody pronounced my child dead and she’s not even dead,’ said the mother. ‘She’s in the hospital.’
She told the news outlet that she got the heartbreaking news that her daughter was ‘gone’ at home.
‘I told them, “Are you absolutely, 100 per cent sure that she’s gone?” They said, “Yes, ma’am, she’s gone,”‘ she recounted.
However, several hours later, she got a call from the funeral home, saying her daughter was alive, breathing and on her way to the hospital.
‘I said, “What do you mean? What do you mean she’s breathing?” [mortuary staff] said, ‘Ma’am, she’s in the hospital.”’
DailyMail.com reached out to Southfield Fire Chief Menifee for comment and was awaiting a reply.