A Nicaraguan woman, María López, was buried for the second time after her family exhumed her body, suspecting she was still alive. López, 24, was pronounced dead on February 11 and buried on February 12 in Waspam. However, her parents unearthed her coffin after receiving a call claiming she was alive. López’s body was taken home, where her family bathed her with salt, vinegar, and lemons, hoping to revive her. Despite a doctor confirming her death, the family sought a second opinion from a traditional healer due to perceived signs of life, such as tears and sweat on her forehead.

For five days, prayer services were held, anticipating López’s resurrection, until her body began to decompose. Eventually, they accepted her death and held a ceremony before burying her again on Monday.

This incident echoes similar cases of people being declared dead prematurely. In Ecuador, Bella Montoya startled her family by knocking on her coffin during her wake, only to pass away later. Similarly, José Ribeiro in Brazil was found alive at a funeral home after being declared dead by doctors, dying later from hypothermia. These cases underscore the importance of thorough medical examination and the potential consequences of premature declarations of death.