'Dead' Man Wakes Up in Body Bag Moments Before Embalming: 'It's a Miracle,' Coroner Says
A man truly had the Lazarus experience after waking up in a body bag moments before being embalmed at a funeral home. Walter Williams was pronounced dead at his home in Lexington, Mississippi last night but he was far from gone.
"I stood there and watched them put him in a body bag and zip it up," Williams' nephew, Eddie Hester, told WAPT News. "I don't know how long he's going to be here, but I know he's back right now. That's all that matters."
Williams was eventually moved to the Porter and Sons Funeral Home, where he woke up and began making noise and kicking. Workers were preparing to embalm his body, but quickly stopped when they realized their client was not dead. They immediately called paramedics, who rushed Williams to a hospital. He is currently in good condition.
"I asked the coroner what happened, and the only thing he could say is that it's a miracle," Sheriff Willie March said.
It's likely that Williams' pacemaker may have stopped working long enough for him to be pronounced dead but then restarted at some point. His family members were left shocked but grateful that Williams is doing well and is back among the living.
In a related story, a man in Kenya was also pronounced dead and was taken to the morgue for embalming when he suddenly awoke and began yelling for help. The 24-year-old had attempted suicide and doctors believe that the anti-poison medications may have slowed his heart enough to make it seems as if he was dead. He was in the mortuary for 15 hours before being found alive.
"The effect of atropines can be sometimes to slowing of heart rate and most of the time it causes dilation of the pupils," hospital superintendent Dr. Joseph Mburu told KTN Kenya network. "These two observations are used to make a conclusion that someone has lost their life."
The young man is now grateful for his miraculous recovery and living his life.