Authorities in Nebraska are conducting an investigation after bringing a 74-year-old woman, previously believed to have died while in hospice care, to a funeral home and finding her breathing.
The woman died after being taken to the hospital, officials said Tuesday.
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The “unusual” occurrence occurred on Monday morning, according to Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the woman’s death at a nursing facility about 9:44 a.m. local time, and then transferred her to the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral facility in Lincoln.
According to Houchin, authorities came to the funeral home when an employee observed the woman was breathing and “instantly called 911” at 11:44 a.m. Monday.
According to Houchin, funeral home staff performed CPR on the woman, identified by officials as Constance Glantz of Lincoln, and transported her to a local hospital alive.
Houchin said Glantz died at the hospital at 4 p.m. Monday. He added that they have alerted her family.
“I can’t imagine what her family has been through, and we’re so sorry they had to go through that,” Houchin said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The Lancaster County attorney has requested an autopsy, according to Houchin. The final autopsy results could take up to 12 weeks.
Because the woman’s death was expected and there was nothing strange about her supposed death, the nursing facility was not required to notify the coroner or local authorities once she was proclaimed dead, according to Houchin.
“It’s a very unusual case,” Houchin stated during a press briefing on Monday. “I have been doing this for 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”
According to Houchin, the sheriff’s office is conducting an investigation, but no criminal charges are pending. “Totally cooperative,” he remarked about the nursing home.
“We have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing,” Houchin stated on Monday.
