DETROIT – After a 20-year-old Southfield woman was declared dead on Sunday, a funeral home discovered she was still breathing -- and very much alive.
Sources tell Local 4 the woman was found in cardiac arrest inside her home in Southfield on Sunday morning. The family called 911 and Southfield fire crews responded.
Southfield Fire released a statement:
“At 7:34 a.m. on August 23, 2020, Southfield Fire Department paramedics arrived at a home in Southfield on a call for an unresponsive female. When paramedics arrived, they found a 20-year-old who was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and other life reviving methods for 30 minutes. Given medical readings and the condition of the patient, it was determined at that time that she did not have signs of life.”
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Sources with knowledge of this investigation tell Local 4 that Southfield police allegedly saw her move and breathe and called the fire crews back, but fire crews claim those were the side effects of the medication given to her.
Several sources said the female was picked up and transported to James H. Cole Funeral Home in Detroit on Schaefer Highway between 11:30 a.m. and noon on Sunday. That’s when employees at the funeral home discovered that she was still breathing.
James H. Cole Home for Funerals confirmed this on Monday morning in a statement. “After receiving clearance from the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s office she was transported to our funeral home.
Upon her arrival at the funeral home, our staff confirmed she was breathing and called EMS.”
EMS and emergency crews found her very much alive and drove her to the hospital.
Southfield Fire continued the statement, “Because there was no indication of foul play, as per standard operating procedure, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office was contacted and given the medical data. The patient was again determined to have expired and the body was released directly to the family to make arrangements with a funeral home of their choosing.”
The full statement from the Southfield Fire Department can be read below.
“At 7:34 a.m. on August 23, 2020, Southfield Fire Department paramedics arrived at a home in Southfield on a call for an unresponsive female. When paramedics arrived, they found a 20 year-old who was not breathing. The paramedics performed CPR and other life reviving methods for 30 minutes. Given medical readings and the condition of the patient, it was determined at that time that she did not have signs of life.
Because there was no indication of foul play, as per standard operating procedure, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office was contacted and given the medical data. The patient was again determined to have expired and the body was released directly to the family to make arrangements with a funeral home of their choosing.
In an effort to respect the privacy of her family, the Southfield Fire Department is not currently releasing personal information on the patient.”