Guatemalan 15-year-old presumed dead by her father wakes in coffin at wake
A 15-year-old girl in El Jocote, Guatemala, was presumed dead by her father after she lost consciousness in the family car, then sat up in her coffin while relatives held her wake.
What happened
A 15-year-old girl from the village of El Jocote in Guatemala's Quiché department was presumed dead by her father, a pastor, after she lost consciousness in the family car on the way to a medical centre. She later described chest pain that felt heavy, after which she fainted. Her father reported finding no breathing and no pulse, and concluded that she had died. No doctor was consulted, no medical examination took place and no death certificate was obtained. Instead he went to a funeral parlour, bought a coffin and brought her home so the family could hold a wake.
- Girl loses consciousness in the car; her father finds no breathing or pulse and buys a coffin
- During the wake at the family home, the girl moves and sits up in the coffin, according to one account
The wake
Relatives, neighbours and members of the church gathered at the family home for the wake, which one account puts at around 14:30. The coffin was placed in a room set aside for the wake, and while mourners sat beside it the girl began to move. Her mother, who was at the coffin, said the girl opened her eyes and sat up. Those present gave her water and helped her out of the coffin, and Spanish-language reports say she was then seated in a chair. Video of the moment spread quickly on social media.
Conflicting accounts of timing
Reports differ on the day and on how long she was presumed dead. Most place the collapse in the early hours of Saturday, 10 October, while one account gives Monday, 12 October. Spanish and Polish reports say she was regarded as dead for about eight hours. The German report instead describes her waking a few minutes after the coffin was brought into the room, and it says the circumstances of the episode remain unclear.
Medical explanation and open questions
Polish media, citing TV Azteca, suggested she may have been in a cataleptic state, a neurological disorder in which the body stiffens, becomes very pale and vital functions slow sharply, lasting from minutes to hours or even days. The same reporting notes that a person in this state can appear dead while not responding to outside stimuli. No doctor examined her at the time, so the death was never medically confirmed. Why she lost consciousness and why she recovered are not known.
Current condition and family reaction
The family regards her return to life as a miracle, according to Polish reporting. The girl herself said she considers her return a miracle and is grateful for everything that happened to her. Greek reporting says she now has full consciousness and is recovering, while Polish reporting says she is at home and recovering.
