Guatemala teen declared dead and placed in a coffin. But then she wakes up at her own funeral: ‘suddenly she sat up’

A viral video captures the moment a 15-year-old girl, who was believed to be dead, suddenly wakes up inside a coffin at her funeral in Guatemala. Yuleidy Ixcotoyac was being driven to a hospital by her evangelical pastor father, Abraham Ixcotoyac, when she passed out. According to local media, he immediately pulled over and checked her breathing and pulse.

He claimed he found neither and, despite being on the way to their local hospital, he decided not to finish the trip and declared her dead on the spot. “She had simply ceased to exist; she died on the way,” Ixcotoyac told local media, according to The Sun. “I saw that she was no longer breathing, and I couldn’t feel her pulse on her wrists. It was a very difficult situation for me. She did not go to hospital,” he said.

This meant that a doctor never confirmed Ixcotoyac’s diagnosis, and an official death certificate was never issued. Instead, they immediately purchased a coffin since it’s a standard practice in Guatemalan culture to bury the dead as soon as you can after they pass.

Mourners turned from grief to shock

Just eight hours after Yuleidy collapsed, a funeral was already arranged. The whole rural village of El Jocote attended. However, Rios took a closer look and noticed that her “dead” daughter was moving. “I kept saying she was alive; she wasn’t dead,” Ríos said. “When I was crying on top of her casket, we opened the window, and she was moving, she was waking up, and suddenly she sat up.”

Yuleidy’s loved ones were left shocked and confused as the teen, dressed in a pink T-shirt, suddenly woke up and started speaking. Her relatives helped her out of the coffin and offered her a cup of water, as the atmosphere turned from grief to joy. The teen recalled: “My heart started hurting really badly; it felt heavy, and then I blacked out, as I fainted.” She is currently conscious, recovering at home, and “thanks God” for being alive.

The viral incident sparked many reactions on social media. While many said it was a “miracle”, others said the poor girl is now undoubtedly “traumatized.” One commented, “It’s disturbing that a child could be presumed dead and prepared for burial without proper medical confirmation.” Some also poked fun, saying, “Now that’s what I call a Wake.” Guatemalan health authorities have not commented on the incident.