An incident involving a Nebraska woman, initially declared dead at a nursing home on Monday, June 3, 2024, only to be found alive later at a funeral home, has triggered an investigation.
74-year-old Constance Glantz was declared dead at 9:44 a.m. by The Mulberry nursing home staff in Waverly, a town northeast of Lincoln, Nebraska. But, two hours later, she was discovered to be breathing by employees at a Lincoln funeral home.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday afternoon, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said, “In my 31 years of service, I have never encountered a case like this before. It is extremely unusual.”
Glantz, a hospice care patient, had been moved from the nursing home to the Butherus, Maser & Love Funeral Home. As an employee prepared to manage her supposed corpse, signs of life were noticed, and CPR was administered. “They instantly called 911,” Houchin stated. Lincoln, Nebraska’s police and fire and rescue departments responded, and Glantz was subsequently transported to a local hospital. However, she passed away a few hours later.
The funeral home reported the incident around 11:45 a.m., roughly two hours following Glantz’s initial declaration of death.
The sheriff’s office has updated Glantz’s family on the event and has initiated an inquiry. “So far, we have not identified any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is still in progress,” stated Houchin.
When asked about the number of individuals who had seen Glantz between her alleged death and her discovery alive, Houchin could not provide a precise number but did note that typically a minimum of two people are involved in body transportation. “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 Glantz’s death did not warrant a coroner’s investigation since it was anticipated, a doctor had attended her within the last seven days and was prepared 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.
This incident isn’t the first time a person has been mistakenly declared dead. In one instance last year, an Iowa Alzheimer’s care facility was fined $10,000 after a woman thought to be dead was found alive when a funeral director unzipped her body bag. In another case, a woman in Ecuador was found alive in her coffin at her own wake, hours after being declared dead.
