Ecuadorian woman dies again after recovering during own funeral

Bella Montoya, the 76 year old Ecuadorian woman who famously revived during her own funeral, passed away again on June 16 after receiving seven days of intensive care at Babahoyo Hospital. Her demise has been confirmed by Ecuador’s Ministry of Health, attributing her death to an ischemic stroke, BBC reported.

Bella Montoya’s son Gilbert Barbeira spoke to the press, stating that his mother had truly passed away this time and that his life would never be the same. The family held another funeral, burying Montoya’s body in a public cemetery in their hometown. Local media reported that Montoya had a condition called “catalepsy”, which causes seizures, unconsciousness, and a stiffening of the body. It is suggested that the initial misdiagnosis of her death might have been due to this condition.

Ecuador‘s health ministry has formed a commission of experts to investigate the treatment process and the prematurely issued death certificate for Montoya. The ministry’s statement added that she had remained under “permanent surveillance” while at the hospital.

Following her death on June 16, Montoya was taken back to the same funeral home for burial at a public cemetery, as reported by the local media. They also mentioned her catalepsy condition, which may have led to the initial misunderstanding of her death last week.

A similar incident happened in Thailand. Metropolitan Police Division 1 Chief Pol Maj-General Zenith Samransamruadkit has assigned a team to investigate the misidentification of a corpse, resulting in a Si Sa Ket man being declared dead and his family holding a funeral and cremating an unknown dead male.

Sakhon Sacheewa, a 44 year old fisherman, returned to visit his hometown on Sunday after working on a boat in Nakhon Si Thammarat for 14 months, only to find out that his family thought he was dead and had cremated someone else’s body. To read more click HERE