Police Investigation Launched In Zaragoza After ‘Dead’ Hospital Patient Is Found To Be Alive In Funeral Parlour

A police investigation was launched in the Spanish province of Zaragoza after a woman was pronounced dead but was found to be breathing once placed inside the funeral parlour.

The incident occurred on Monday, September 18, after a 90-year-old woman was admitted to the San Juan de Dios hospital in the Aragonese city of Zaragoza due to her worsening health.

At 11 pm, medical staff at the facility notified the elderly woman’s daughter that she had passed away. They told her that there had been no specific or unexpected circumstances that precipitated her death and that she died from natural causes.

The daughter was told she could not see her mother’s body

She was informed that it was not possible to view her mother’s body because it had already been sent to the mortuary. They explained that once the body was prepared, it would be sent to the municipal cemetery of Torrero.

The funeral parlour was tasked with preparing the body for the wake that, in principle, was going to take place the following day so that relatives and friends could say their last goodbyes.

While the woman’s body was being prepared, an employee detected at around 4 am that the 90-year-old was actually still alive and breathing.

The woman was immediately taken back to the hospital

They immediately called 061 to deploy an ambulance to the funeral home and her body was returned to the hospital where, that same day at around 6:30 pm, she was once again confirmed to have died, according to El Periódico de Aragón.

As a result, after receiving information about the case, the Murder Group of the Zaragoza National Police launched an investigation to establish how such a serious medical error could be committed.

They will attempt to determine whether a possible instance of medical negligence could have occurred although they ruled out any criminal responsibilities in the death.