‘Dead’ man comes back to life at funeral home as nurse gives ‘mouth to mouth’

Juraci Rosa Alves, 88, was declared dead by a doctor in Brazil due to respiratory failure and taken to a funeral home, where staff discovered he was still breathing and alive

An individual who had been pronounced dead was hurriedly returned to hospital after funeral home workers noticed he was still breathing.

Juraci Rosa Alves was taken to a hospital on Saturday (16 May) where a doctor declared him deceased due to respiratory failure. A funeral home was subsequently contacted and Alves, 88, was transported there for routine post-mortem procedures.

However, as staff were preparing the body for the wake, they detected signs of life, as reported by NeedToKnow. Jacqueline Brogiato, the technical nursing supervisor at the funeral home, told local press: “Our funeral staff carried out the transfer as a standard procedure.

“When they arrived at the laboratory and placed him on the table, they noticed unusual movement in the abdomen and were unsure whether it was breathing. At first, when we realised there were vital signs, our only thought was to save him.

“So I carried out the initial care, trying to clear his airway until emergency services arrived.

“Everything happened very quickly – when they arrived, the doctor immediately began sedating and intubating him so he could be taken to the healthcare facility.”

Alves was rushed to a hospital in Presidente Prudente, Brazil, where he remained as of the latest update yesterday (May 18).

A family member told local media: “My aunt had gone home to prepare the paperwork and the clothes my grandad was going to wear for the wake. When they arrived there, my aunt and my cousin thought the delay seemed strange.

“Then my cousin was told he had been taken to the funeral home to prepare the body and, once there, the funeral home staff noticed vital signs – he was breathing and moving.”

Police were alerted and have logged the case as “failure to provide assistance”. They have not disclosed the identity of the doctor who pronounced Alves dead.

Alves, a resident of Emilianópolis, remains on life support in the ICU in a serious but stable condition.

His family’s solicitor, Carlos Alberto Carneiro, told local media: “According to the hospital currently treating Mr Juraci, the situation may have worsened his condition due to his age and the amount of time he spent without proper care and treatment.”

The original hospital in Presidente Bernardes has stated it will launch an internal investigation into the incident and is “available to provide any necessary clarification”.

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