Nebraska authorities are investigating.
A 74-year-old woman who reportedly died while in hospice care was breathing after being transported to a funeral home, Nebraska authorities said Monday.
The woman had been transported from a nursing home, where she was pronounced dead around 9:44 a.m. local time, to Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home in Lincoln on Monday morning, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities responded to the funeral home after an employee noticed the woman was breathing and “immediately called 911” around 11:44 a.m., according to Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin.
Funeral home staff performed CPR on the woman — identified by authorities as Constance Glantz of Lincoln — and she was transported to a local hospital, where she remains alive, Houchin said. His family has been notified, he said.
“This is a very unusual case,” Houchin said during a press briefing Monday. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”
Because this was a case where a death was expected and there was nothing suspicious about her supposed death, the nursing home did not have to contact the coroner or authorities local authorities after the woman was pronounced dead, Houchin said.
The sheriff’s office is investigating and no criminal charges are pending, according to Houchin.
“We have not found any criminal intent on the part of the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing,” Houchin said.