In a remarkable occurrence of a medical anomaly, an elderly man who was mistakenly declared ‘dead’ and on the verge of being embalmed, regained consciousness inside a body bag at a funeral home.
Walter Williams, a farmer who garnered international attention when he woke up, surprised undertakers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home in Mississippi, USA, as they were preparing to embalm him. The 78-year-old, who was actually alive, had been admitted to a hospice due to congestive heart failure. Despite medical staff pronouncing him dead after failing to detect a heartbeat around 9pm on February 27, 2014, it was revealed that Walter was still living. He was then transferred to Porter and Sons Funeral Home in a body bag.
Just as the embalmers were about to start the preservation process to delay decomposition for public viewings, Walter began to show signs of life. He was quickly taken to the hospital, where doctors theorized that a combination of medications or a malfunctioning pacemaker might have caused his vital signs to disappear.
Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard recounted the incident, stating, “We got him into the embalming room, and we noticed his legs beginning to move, like kicking. He also began to do a little breathing.” Reflecting on the event, Dexter emphasized the lesson learned, saying, “That miracles can happen.”
Walter’s nephew, Eddie Hester, described the surreal experience, recalling how he witnessed his uncle being zipped into a body bag at 10:30pm, only to receive a call at 2:30am confirming that Walter was still alive.
Speaking to the BBC, Dexter mentioned that Walter’s family was overwhelmed with joy upon hearing of his recovery. He admitted that in his more than two decades as a coroner, he had never encountered a case like Walter’s and expressed hopes for his continued well-being.
Martha Lewis, Walter’s daughter, shared her relief at her father’s unexpected revival, expressing gratitude for the additional time spent with him. Sadly, just 15 days after the miraculous event that captivated global audiences, Walter, affectionately known as Snowball, passed away peacefully at his home in Lexington, Mississippi on March 14, 2014, due to natural causes.
Eddie reflected on the bittersweet turn of events, acknowledging that this time, Walter had truly left them. Describing it as a “two-week miracle,” he cherished the extra time spent with his uncle and the joy it brought to their family.