Elderly woman found breathing at Miller Place funeral home hours after she was pronounced dead at the Port Jefferson nursing home, police say

PORT JEFFERSON, Long Island — A New York funeral home was shocked on Saturday after an elderly woman who was pronounced dead was found alive.

Police say an 82-year-old woman was pronounced dead at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Port Jefferson.

She was transported to a funeral home in Miller Place just over two hours later. About half an hour later, the woman was found breathing, police said.

Emergency responders took her to a local hospital after the incident.

Officials say it’s unclear whether human error played a part or if it was a miraculous recovery. The incident is referred to the New York State Attorney General’s office.

News of this came on the heels of a similar incident in Iowa. Hospice workers mistakenly declared a woman dead, only to have her gasp in the body bag that arrived at the funeral home.