Waking up in a morgue, a scenario seemingly lifted from a horror movie, is more common than one might think. Doctors, being fallible, can overlook faint signs of life or encounter mysterious events like Lazarus Syndrome, where revived circulation occurs inexplicably. For those declared dead and then found alive, the experience is bewildering and frightening, reminiscent of being buried alive. These unsettling stories of individuals waking up in morgues are enough to make anyone grateful it hasnโt happened to them.
A Grandmother Came Back To Life Twice
In 2011, Lyudmila Steblitskaya, a retired cook and grandmother, was mistakenly declared dead and placed in a morgue after being hospitalized. Despite spending the entire weekend in morgue refrigeration, she miraculously survived. In a subsequent hospital stay in October 2012, she was pronounced dead again but was successfully revived by doctors within a few hours. Steblitskayaโs experiences highlight the astonishing and unpredictable nature of life and death.
A Baby Came Back To Life After 12 Hours In A Refrigerated Morgue
In Argentina, a premature infant was mistakenly declared dead 20 minutes after birth. After spending twelve hours in a refrigerated coffin, the parents went to the morgue to say their goodbyes, only to discover their baby, whom they named Luz Milagros, meaning โMiracle Light,โ was still alive. Although she faced health complications, Luz Milagros defied the odds and lived until a few months after her first birthday.
Source:
flickr
A Man Snored Himself Awake On The Autopsy Table
On January 7, 2018, prison employees in northern Spain found Gonzalo Montoya Jimรฉnez unresponsive in his cell. Three forensic doctors declared him dead, and his body was sent for an autopsy. However, during the procedure, four hours after being declared dead, Jimรฉnez began snoring. The confusion stemmed from his epilepsy, which occasionally induced a deep, trance-like state, likely leading to the mistaken pronouncement of death.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
A Bad Hangover Became Even Worse In A Morgue
In 2016, a 25-year-old Polish man named Kamil experienced a heart attack while drinking vodka with friends. Pronounced dead after collapsing outside a pub, he was later discovered alive in the mortuary refrigerator hours later when a guard heard noises. Surprisingly, Kamil, naked and presumed dead, requested a blanket. After medical evaluation, he returned to the pub, defying the initial declaration of death.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
A Man Started Moving Around In His Body Bag
Believe that being mistakenly declared dead canโt happen in the United States? Think again. In 2014, Walter Williams, a farmer from Holmes County, MS, was pronounced dead. The following day, morgue workers were astonished to see his body bag moving, as Williams was kicking it from the inside. After being taken to the hospital and released to his shocked family a few days later, the 76-year-old lived for two more weeks before passing away from natural causes. One theory suggests that Williamsโ defibrillator may have restarted his heart while he was in the body bag.
Source:
youtube
A Dead Russian Man Shocked His Friends By Coming Back To Party
In 2015, an unnamed Russian man drank to the point of passing out, leading everyone to believe he was dead. His friends called an ambulance, and even the first responders thought he had passed away. He was taken to the morgue, placed in the freezer, and woke up later in shock among the deceased. Pounding on the doors got the attention of a guard, and after a medical check, his first destination was back to his friendโs house. There, his friends, still mourning him, were surprised to see him alive. The mourning gathering quickly transformed into a celebratory reunion.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
A Daughter Identifying Her Motherโs Dead Body Discovered She Was Actually Alive
In 2011, Rosa Celestrino de Assis was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, and despite showing no vital signs, the doctor declared her dead. Her body was placed in a plastic body bag and taken to the morgue refrigerator. Two hours later, her daughter, during what she believed was a final hug, noticed her mother was breathing. The revelation led to the resignation of the doctor who declared her dead and the termination of a nurse working under him. The incident underscores the importance of accurate medical assessments in such critical situations.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
A Woman With Cataplexy Woke Up In A Morgue Three Times
June Burchell has found herself in a morgue three times due to her condition, cataplexy, which is linked to narcolepsy and causes temporary paralysis while remaining conscious. Episodes are triggered by strong emotions. The first occurrence happened in her teenage years, where she was mistakenly pronounced dead, placed in a morgue surrounded by deceased individuals. Hours later, she regained the ability to move and speak. Burchell, who has one of the most severe cases of cataplexy globally, expressed a greater fear of being buried alive than of death itself. Her story was featured on the documentary series โMy Shocking Story.โ
Source:
flickr
A Man Woke Up During His Own Autopsy
In 2007, after a severe car accident, Carlos Camejo, a 33-year-old Venezuelan man, was pronounced dead at the scene and taken to the morgue. However, he regained consciousness during his autopsy when the medical examiner began cutting into his face. Experiencing unbearable pain, Camejo woke up, much to the astonishment of his wife, who had come to identify his body. To this day, Camejo carries the scar from his own autopsy.
Source:
flickr
A 91-Year-Old Woman Spent 11 Hours In Cold Storage
In a surprising turn of events, a Polish woman named Janina Kolkiewicz was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in her home. Taken to the morgue, her family began arranging her funeral. However, eleven hours later, a morgue worker noticed movement in her body bag as he was bringing in another body. Despite the cold environment, Kolkiewicz was unharmed and, seemingly unfazed, even requested some hot tea. The examining doctor expressed astonishment, stating, โI was sure she was dead.โ
Source:
flickr
A Morgue Worker Discovered A Baby He Was Preparing For Cremation Was Actually Alive
In China, a father named Jin Hua Lu brought his premature newborn to the hospital due to signs of discoloration. Doctors declared the baby dead, stating that his heart had stopped. Fifteen hours later, morgue staff, preparing for cremation, discovered the baby was alive, crying, and moving. The childโs survival in the cold was attributed to his father wrapping him in several blankets.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
A Man Scratched At The Morgue Door To Alert Workers He Was Alive
In 2014, Paul Mutora, a 24-year-old Kenyan man, attempted suicide by ingesting insecticide. After being rushed to the hospital and administered anti-poison drugs, doctors believed he had not survived and sent him to the morgue for embalming. However, morgue workers heard scratching noises and discovered Mutora alive in the room, prompting them to flee in shock. Mutora, expressing remorse, attributed the mistaken declaration of death to the effects of the anti-poison drugs.
Source:
youtube
A Woman Was Alive In The Morgue, Only To Die From Freezing To Death
In 2010, after suffering a heart attack, 80-year-old Maria de Jesus Arroyo was declared dead by doctors in California. Placed in a body bag and stored in a morgue freezer, she was later discovered with a broken nose and facial cuts when workers were preparing to transport her to a funeral home. A doctor indicated that the injuries suggested she may have awakened, attempted to seek help, and likely succumbed to hypothermia. Arroyoโs family filed a lawsuit against the hospital.
Source:
Wikimedia Commons
Morgue Workers Thought One Living Man Was A Ghost
A 50-year-old man in South Africa, experiencing an asthma attack, was deemed unresponsive by his family, leading them to believe he had passed away. They called a private mortuary, and the man spent 21 hours in the morgue before regaining consciousness. When he screamed for help, morgue workers, initially thinking he was a ghost, were astonished to find him alive. The man suffered hypothermia but was otherwise in good condition and was discharged from the hospital the next day. The health department representative recommended contacting the police if there are suspicions of a relativeโs passing, as itโs not the standard procedure in South Africa.
Source:
flickr
A Woman Was Locked In A Morgue After Giving Birth By Cesarean Section
In a hospital in Kuwait, an unidentified Saudi woman underwent a routine Cesarean section. Due to a medical error, doctors incorrectly believed she had died and informed her husband en route to the hospital. The woman was then sent to the morgue, where she regained consciousness surrounded by deceased individuals. Shocked and distressed, she screamed until a morgue worker heard her and released her. The family subsequently filed a lawsuit against the hospital for the distressing and mistaken incident.
Source:
flickr
A Woman Came Back From The Dead, Only To Die Two Days Later
In a German nursing home, a 92-year-old woman was found without a pulse and not breathing, leading to her being declared dead. She was subsequently taken to a funeral homeโs refrigerated room. However, several hours later, workers at the funeral home heard screaming, discovering that the woman was alive. She ultimately succumbed to heart disease two days after the incident, with her real cause of death unrelated to the time spent in refrigeration. The doctor who declared her dead may face imprisonment if convicted of negligent bodily harm.
Source:
flickr
A woman in a severe car crash was alive inside the morgue
In July 2018, a woman from Gauteng, initially pronounced dead by paramedics following a severe car crash, was subsequently discovered alive in a mortuary refrigerator. Distress Alert reported that paramedics had officially declared her deceased at the scene of a multi-vehicle collision in Carltonville. However, mortuary staff later detected signs of life when they located her within a morgue refrigerator several hours later.
Source:
Pexels
This man was there and back again
In December 2016, the Daily News disclosed an incident involving Msizi Mkhize, who was struck by a car while walking home in KwaMashu on December 5. Paramedics pronounced him deceased at the scene, and his body was transported to the Phoenix mortuary. The following day, as Mkhizeโs parents arrived to identify his remains, mortuary personnel discovered signs of breathing. He had been in the morgue for over 26 hours. Mkhize was subsequently transferred to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital but tragically passed away five hours later.
Source:
Pexels
This man woke up dehydrated
In July 2011, a man in the Eastern Cape regained consciousness in a morgue. According to IOL, the 50-year-old individual had been presumed dead by his family when attempts to awaken him proved futile. Subsequently, he was transported to a private mortuary. After awakening, he received treatment for dehydration.
Source:
reddit
Death really does pack a punch
In 2005, a teenager startled medical staff by waking up in a mortuary and promptly punching a doctor. Bogdan Georgescu, a 16-year-old Romanian, had been transported to the morgue at Brasov County Hospital in Brasov after collapsing and exhibiting no signs of life. Upon his arrival, he was officially pronounced dead, and his body was relocated to the morgue. However, when a doctor perceived what seemed to be movement from the teenager and leaned in to investigate, he was met with an unexpected punch.
Source:
reddit
Turning pale at the news
When 50-year-old Sharolyn Jackson disappeared from her West Philadelphia home, authorities stumbled upon a body they believed to be hers. Two of her children identified the remains, leading to the official pronouncement of Jacksonโs death. An obituary was published in the local paper, and a funeral service was conducted. The only hiccup emerged when it was revealed that the body in the casket was not Jacksonโs. Two weeks later, she was found alive in a mental health facility, understandably shocked to discover her own obituary.
Source:
reddit
Toasting to his own memory
The Russian peopleโs renowned affection for vodka reached an extraordinary level in the Primorsky Krai region, situated on Russiaโs eastern coast just across from Japan. A local newspaper detailed the tale of a man who apparently imbibed himself to death at a party dedicated to his national beverage. Medical examiners, as well as the man himself, were astonished when he regained consciousness a few hours later in the morgue. Equally astonishing was his return to the party, where he joined friends raising a toast in memory of his presumed demise.
Source:
reddit
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
