WAVERLY, Nebraska — In a remarkable turn of events, 74-year-old Constance Glantz, who had been in hospice care at The Mulberry nursing home, was found alive by funeral home staff hours after being declared dead.
Constance was discovered breathing by a worker at the funeral home in Lincoln.
The events unfolded on a seemingly ordinary Monday when, at 9:44 a.m., nursing home staff pronounced Constance dead.
Her death had been anticipated due to her condition, and as Lancaster County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ben Houchin explained, no immediate investigation was required:
“A physician had seen her in the last seven days, and the physician is willing to sign the death certificate, and that there was nothing suspicious at that time of the death – all of those fit.”
Under such circumstances, standard protocol was followed, and Constance’s body was transported to Butherus-Maser & Love funeral home without further verification.
It was nearly two hours after her pronouncement, upon arrival at the funeral home, that a worker noticed something truly extraordinary – Constance was breathing.
The worker called 911 at around 11:45 a.m., and emergency responders from Lincoln police, fire, and rescue teams rushed to the scene.
They found Constance exhibiting the simple yet astonishing act of breathing.
“She was taken to a local hospital and is still alive,” Houchin confirmed.
Details of her condition remain unknown, and both the nursing home in Waverly and the funeral home in Lincoln have been approached for further comment.
The unexpected revival of Constance has prompted an investigation by the sheriff’s office, although no criminal intent has been identified so far.
“We have not been able to find any criminal intent by the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing,” Houchin stated. “I’m sure the nursing home and everybody else is going to be taking a look into what has happened, and I’m sure they’ll look and see if new protocols need to be made and if they were all followed.”
Reflecting on the bizarre nature of the case, Houchin, a veteran lawman of 31 years, remarked, “This is a very unusual case.”
