Walter Williams, the 78-year-old Mississippi man who was mistakenly declared dead and later found alive in a body bag at a funeral home, has died. His nephew, Eddie Hester, confirmed the death on Thursday, saying, 'I think he's gone this time.'
Williams had been in hospice care for congestive heart failure since February. On 26 February, family members believed he had died and called a coroner, Dexter Howard, who incorrectly pronounced him dead.
The following day, workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home in Lexington heard rustling coming from the body bag containing Williams. They opened the bag to find him alive and kicking. He was then taken to a hospital.
Coroner Howard, who also confirmed Williams's second death, said the error likely occurred because Williams's pacemaker had stopped and then restarted. Funeral director Byron Porter agreed that the pacemaker had likely stopped.
Williams, a lifelong farmer and father of 11, had been in hospice care since February. His death comes just over two weeks after the initial misdiagnosis.
