WAVERLY, NE – A chilling discovery was made in a Nebraska funeral home when an elderly woman previously declared dead at a nursing home was later found breathing, sparking police investigations. The 74-year-old woman, Constance Glantz, was later officially pronounced dead at a hospital, announced the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office. An autopsy was set to take place on Tuesday.
Housed in The Mulberry in Waverly, Nebraska, Glantz had been on hospice care. At a news conference, nursing home officials shared that Glantz was believed to have passed at 9:44 a.m., though the reasoning behind this belief remains unknown.
According to Chief Deputy Ben Houchin, Glantz’s perceived death did not warrant the involvement of a coroner. Afterward, her body was transported to Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home. The specifics of what transpired between Glantz’s apparent death and when she was found breathing at the funeral home remain unclear. The discovery reportedly occurred while funeral home staff in Lincoln were prepping Glantz’s body for the funeral.
At the call of the funeral home around 11:43 a.m., Lincoln Fire and Rescue initiated CPR on Glantz before transporting her to a hospital.
While an ongoing investigation takes place, it appears the nursing home has not committed any criminal act or broken any laws, stated Houchin. Declining to comment on the incident is The Mulberry. Two identical situations happened in 2023 at nursing homes in Iowa and New York.