Dead or Alive? Iowa Woman Declared Dead Found ‘Gasping for Air’ Inside Body Bag at Funeral Home

A woman in Iowa, who was declared dead, and was sent to a funeral home, was found ‘gasping for air’ inside the body bag, much to the horror of the staff at the funeral home. The elderly care facility where the woman resided is now likely to face $10,000 in fines after the woman was not only mistakenly pronounced dead, but also taken to funeral home. The incident took place with a 66-year-old woman who resided in Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Center.

According to reports, the 66-year-old woman moved into the care facility earlier on December 2021. Earlier on January 3 this year, some staff members observed how the woman’s health had been diminishing over the time. Further, on January 3, she was pronounced dead after the staff observed that the woman’s “mouth was open, her eyes were fixed, and there were no breath sounds”.

As per a report by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, the care facility alerted the funeral home and also informed the family of the elderly woman. Sometime around 7.38 pm, a funeral director arrived and placed the woman’s body inside a body bagged, zipping it shut, not realizing the woman was alive and breathing.

Sometime around 8.26 pm, a staff member of the funeral home noticed the woman’s chest moving and she “gasping for air”

Contents hide

1. The Facts of the Matter

2. Facility Can Be Fined Up To $10,000

3. Elderly Woman Pronounced Dead

4. Funeral Staff Notices Something Awry

The Facts of the Matter

Being mistakenly pronounced dead is a traumatic and frightening experience that occurs when medical professionals fail to accurately assess a person’s condition. This type of error can occur when medical personnel are inexperienced or in a rush, or when there is a lack of proper protocol for determining death.

In one such situation reported from Iowa, a 66-year-old was not only mistakenly pronounced dead, but sent to a funeral home, only to be seen “gasping for air” by a funeral home staffer.

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Facility Can Be Fined Up To $10,000

The matter came to the fore after the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals filed a report, mentioning the care facility now standing to be fined up to $10,000 in fines.

According to reports, the 66-year-old woman was spending her time as a resident at the Glen Oaks Alzheimer’s Special Care Centre since 2021. She was then moved into a hospice care facility after her health deteriorated.

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Elderly Woman Pronounced Dead

Earlier on January 3, the care facility’s staffers pronounced the woman dead after noticing the woman’s “mouth was open, her eyes were fixed, and there were no breathing sounds”. The facility then alerted a funeral home and also informed the elderly woman’s family about the death.

Sometime around 7.38 pm, a funeral director arrived at the location, and placed the woman’s body inside the body bag, and zipped it shut. The funeral director also claimed that the woman showed no signs of life.

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Funeral Staff Notices Something Awry

Sometime around 8.26, a funeral home staffer spotted something. Much to the staffer’s horror, the woman’s chest was moving and she was found “gasping for air”. The funeral home quickly alerted 911 and called the hospice facility. The emergency responders on arrival, were able to record a pulse and signs of life.

The story unfortunately has a rather bitter ending, as the woman died later on January 5. However, the silver lining in the whole incident was that the woman passed away with her family by her side.