NEW YORK, June 5: A 74-year-old woman, Constance Glantz, was declared dead by nursing staff at The Mulberry care home in Waverly, Nebraska, on Monday morning. Two hours later, a funeral home employee discovered she was still breathing.

The incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. local time when Glantz was pronounced dead. Shortly after, she was transported to the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home in Lincoln, where an employee noticed she was alive and administered CPR.

Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin reported during a press conference that the funeral home employee "instantly called 911." The call was made around 11:45 a.m., two hours after Glantz had been declared dead. She was then transferred to a hospital, and her family was notified.

Initially reported alive on Monday, Glantz later passed away at approximately 4 p.m. that same day while still in the hospital.

Houchin described the case as "very unusual" and noted he had never encountered such an incident in his 31-year career. An investigation has been launched, but no charges have been filed, and authorities have not found any criminal intent.

The nursing home is cooperating with the investigation, and the funeral home is not considered at fault. Neither The Mulberry care home nor the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home has publicly commented on the situation.

In Nebraska, hospice and nursing home facilities are not required to contact a coroner if a death is anticipated and deemed unsuspicious. Following Glantz’s death, the Lancaster County attorney general ordered an autopsy. The results, which can take up to 12 weeks, will be made public once available.

This incident is not isolated. Last year, a hospice facility in Iowa mistakenly declared a 66-year-old woman dead, only to find her gasping for breath hours later. Similarly, a 76-year-old woman in Ecuador was found breathing inside her coffin during her wake in 2023.