A funeral home employee had the surprise of their life this week when a woman believed to be dead was discovered to be very much alive.
Constance Glantz, a 74-year-old woman from Lincoln, Nebraska, was pronounced dead at around 9:45 AM local time on Monday by staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly, where she had been receiving hospice care.
Lancaster County Sheriff Chief Deputy Ben Houchin reported at a press conference on Monday that Glantz’s body was then transported to the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home to prepare for her funeral.
In a startling turn of events, two hours after her apparent death, a funeral home worker noticed that the 74-year-old was still breathing.
Chief Deputy Houchin stated that a 911 call was made at around 11:43 AM to report a “medical emergency” at the funeral home.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue responders arrived shortly after to find staff members performing CPR on Glantz. She was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she remains alive.
“This is a very unusual case,” Chief Deputy Houchin commented. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”
Glantz’s family has been notified about the incident. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation to determine what went wrong. Chief Deputy Houchin noted that there is no sign of any criminal intent by the nursing home.