In Guatemala, a 15-year-old girl, whom her family believed to be dead, unexpectedly regained consciousness in her own coffin whilst preparations were being made for her funeral. The incident took place on 10 October in the village of El Jocote, in the municipality of Sacapulas, Quiché Department. The day before, the teenager had lost consciousness, and her father, unable to detect a pulse or breathing, concluded that his daughter had died. The family purchased a coffin and organised a farewell ceremony, but the girl began to move and opened her eyes. The moment she woke up was captured on video, which quickly went viral on social media. However, there was no medical confirmation of the girl’s death.
Briefly about the main points
- In Guatemala, a 15-year-old girl came round in a coffin.
- The incident took place on 10 October in the village of El Hocote in the department of Quiché.
- After she lost consciousness, her father thought she had died.
- The girl was not examined at the hospital, and her death has not been officially confirmed.
The girl was presumed dead, and preparations for her funeral began
According to a Guatemalan publication Prensa Libre, the 15-year-old girl’s name is Yuleidi Iskotoyak. Her father Abraham Iskotoyak Tohin He told the local TV channel, TV SAC, that his daughter had felt very unwell during the night.
The man decided to take her to a medical facility as a matter of urgency. However, on the way, near the village of San Pedro Jocopilas, the girl stopped responding to external stimuli.
According to her father, he stopped the car and checked on his daughter, but could not detect any breathing or a pulse. Concluding that she had died, he did not continue the journey to hospital. Instead, he bought a coffin and returned home, where relatives and neighbours began to make preparations for the funeral.
The mother noticed that her daughter was moving in the coffin
According to the girl’s mother’s account Lesvia Rios, the relatives gathered for the funeral at around 2.30 pm. A woman was weeping by the coffin when she noticed that her daughter had started to move. Shortly afterwards, Yuleidi opened her eyes and managed to sit up. Those present immediately rushed to her, helped her out of the coffin and offered her some water.
Footage that has been circulating online shows several people helping the girl, whilst her distraught relatives gather around her.
Yuleidi herself later gave a brief interview to local journalists. She said that, before losing consciousness, she had felt a sharp pain in her chest and a heaviness in the area around her heart.
Did the girl really die and come back to life?
The story caused quite a stir, and some relatives described the incident as a miracle.
However, journalists from Prensa Libre and Infobae uncovered an important detail: the girl had not been taken to hospital, and her death had not been officially certified by medical staff. It was her father who concluded that she was dead, having tried to check his daughter’s pulse and breathing himself.
As of 12 October, no medical report has been published that would explain the reasons for her loss of consciousness and subsequent recovery. It is therefore incorrect to describe the case as a confirmed return to life following clinical death.
