Suffolk County

‘Dead' Woman at New York Funeral Home Turns Out to Be Alive

The woman, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at Waters Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson around 11:15 a.m. Saturday. Hours later, she was breathing again

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An 82-year-old woman who "died" at a Long Island, New York nursing home over the weekend gave funeral home staff quite a shock when she was found to be breathing about 49 minutes after her arrival, authorities say.

The woman, whose name has not been released, had previously been pronounced dead at Waters Edge Rehab and Nursing Center in Port Jefferson around 11:15 a.m. Saturday, Suffolk County police said.

She was taken to O.B. Davis Funeral Home in Miller Place around 1:30 p.m., and it didn't take 45 minutes from that point before personnel noticed she was breathing. The woman was taken to a hospital.

There was no immediate update on her condition Monday.

The case is being referred to the New York State Attorney General's Office for investigation.

New York state's health department says it is also investigating and couldn't comment further "at this time."

The rehab center didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The funeral home issued a statement saying only, "Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the families we are honored to serve, we are not in a position to comment further on this matter."

Last week, a suburban Iowa continuing care home was fined $10,000 after a similar mistake. In that case, a 66-year-old woman who was believed to be dead was placed in a zipped body bag and taken to a nearby funeral home, where workers found that she was breathing and called 911.

She was taken to a nearby hospital, returned to hospice care and later died.

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