74-year-old woman declared dead – found breathless in funeral home

“This is a very unusual case,” said Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Houchin.

A 74-year-old woman presumed dead was found breathing before her funeral.

On Monday, June 3, the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference where authorities identified Constance Glantz of Lincoln, Nebraska, as the person who was nearly buried alive.

“This is a very unusual case,” said Ben Houchin, Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy, during the press conference. “I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and it’s never gotten to this point.”

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At around 9:45 a.m. local time, staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly pronounced Glantz, who was in hospice care, dead.

Her body was then taken to the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home. However, at around 11:43 a.m., the Lincoln Fire Department was called “for a medical emergency” after a funeral home employee noticed the woman was still breathing.

A Lincoln Fire Department spokesman said they responded to “ongoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”

“She was taken to a local hospital and is still alive,” Houchin said of Glantz.

“LSO was at the nursing home and we have begun investigating the incident. So far we have not been able to determine any criminal intent on the part of the nursing home, but the investigation is ongoing,” he continued.

According to Houchin, the sheriff’s department had not yet been dispatched that day when staff at The Mulberry nursing home thought Glantz had died. Authorities were not called until staff at the funeral home realized she was still breathing.

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“It was not within those circumstances that they had to call us to do a post-mortem,” Houchin explained. “That is the ‘death of a patient expected to die’ and that was the case here. A doctor had examined her within the last seven days and was willing to sign the death certificate. Also, there was nothing suspicious at the time of death.”

“They all fit,” Houchin explained, explaining why his deputies were not initially sent to the nursing home.

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He added that Glantz’s family had been informed of the situation.

Houchin also answered questions from the media, confirming that “at least one nurse” was with Glantz before the funeral home employee determined she was still breathing. He also said that two people are usually present to transport the body, but he was unsure “how many people did that part.”

“We are still investigating and trying to find out what happened,” Houchin said.

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