'Dead' woman found alive at Detroit funeral home

A Detroit woman, who was pronounced dead by both first responders and the local medical examiner, was found to still be breathing at a funeral home.

The 20-year-old was initially found unresponsive in her Southfield home at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, FOX 5 reported.

When paramedics arrived, the emergency crews performed CPR and other revival methods for a half-hour to resuscitate the female patient.

"Given medical readings and the condition of the patient, it was determined at that time that she did not have signs of life," the Southfield Fire Department wrote in a press statement.

"Because there was no indication of foul play, as per standard operating procedure," the fire department then contacted the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office and forwarded the woman's 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 statement recounted.

In a startling discovery at the James H. Cole Home for Funerals, the woman was still alive. Funeral home officials confirmed that the patient was still breathing upon arrival. The staff then called emergency medical services and the woman was taken to a hospital, WDIV-TV reported.

Sources told Local 4 that Southfield police allegedly witnessed the woman move and breathe and called the fire crews back, but the fire department had claimed that those actions were the side effects of the medication given to her.

"We couldn't believe it," said Dave Fornell, deputy commissioner of the fire department, who added that her heart rate was 80.

No other information on the patient's location, her name, or current condition was immediately released "[i]n an effort to respect the privacy of her family."