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In a shocking turn of events, an eight-month-old baby girl was rushed to the hospital from her own funeral after mourners noticed her hand moving in the coffin. Kiara Crislayne de Moura dos Santos was declared dead by medical professionals in the early hours of October 19. Just two hours later, funeral director Aureo Arruda Ramos collected her body from the Faustino Riscarolli Hospital Foundation in Correia Pinto, located in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
Following this grim event, Ramos, alongside Kiara’s grieving parents, began preparing for the child’s funeral, which was scheduled for later that same day. The parents had brought a set of clothes for their daughter to wear in her coffin, and the service commenced at 7 PM, a mere 16 hours after she had been pronounced dead, The U.S. Sun reported.
However, the funeral took a haunting turn when horrified mourners noticed Kiara’s hand moving. Witnesses reported that when one of them touched her fingers, the baby gripped them tightly, prompting panic among those present. A nearby pharmacist, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, examined the baby further and found that she was still breathing. He immediately called emergency services for assistance.
When paramedics arrived and assessed Kiara, they discovered she still had a pulse, along with an oxygen saturation level of 84 percent, indicating a critical need for immediate medical care. Alarmingly, they noted the absence of rigor mortis, which typically begins to set in between six to eight hours after death.
Despite these hopeful signs, tragedy struck again. By the time Kiara was transported back to the hospital, her heart had stopped beating, and she was declared dead once more, according to local reports. The heartbreaking news was particularly devastating for her father, Cristiano Santos, who expressed the family’s anguish: “We were devastated already. Then there came a little bit of hope, but then this ended up happening”, the Mirror reported.
In the wake of this disturbing incident, the hospital is now under investigation by Brazil’s specialist Scientific Police. The facility acknowledged the grave error of declaring the child dead 16 hours prior and later confirming her death when she was brought back. The city government of Correia Pinto has since issued an apology to Kiara’s family and promised a thorough investigation, with a report to be provided within 30 days.
A spokesperson for the municipality stated: “The Municipality of Correia Pinto reiterates its commitment to provide the best care for all citizens and reinforces that, under no circumstances, can any professional issue certificates or statements without proper authentication of the patient’s condition.” They added that all health professionals are continuously trained to prioritize the lives and well-being of patients.
This incident raises significant concerns about medical protocols and the protocols in place for declaring death, emphasizing the need for rigorous standards to prevent such heart-wrenching occurrences in the future. Kiara’s family, already grappling with their immense loss, must now navigate the aftermath of a situation that has left their community in shock and mourning.
