Woman found still alive at Lincoln funeral home dies hours later

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said a woman who’d been pronounced dead and later came back to life in a Lincoln funeral home has died.

Constance Glantz, 74, was pronounced dead for a second time on Monday at 4 p.m., according to Chief Deputy Ben Houchin.

Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon ordered an autopsy that will be performed at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The sheriff’s office will give an update once the final autopsy report is completed. The investigation is ongoing.

Houchin said officials at the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home have been cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation.

“I also want to state in our investigation that the funeral home did nothing wrong. They are the ones that found that she was still alive,” Houchin said.

The funeral home released the following statement regarding the incident.

“Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home and our staff are devoted to our community and the families we serve. We are proud that our directors and staff handled the recent incident in the news appropriately and with upmost care. Our prayers go out to the family. We thank Lincoln Fire & Rescue and the Lincoln Police Department for their quick response. Thank you to all who have placed their loved ones in our care. We will continue to serve our community with our core values: faith, trust, and compassion.”

Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home at 11:43 a.m. on Monday. The caller said CPR was in progress for a 74-year-old woman.

Earlier, around 9:45 a.m., Glantz had been pronounced dead by staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly. She had been in hospice, and nursing staff were expecting her to pass away, according to Houchin.

Funeral home staff transported the woman back to Lincoln. While preparing her body for funeral arrangements, a staff member noticed she was still breathing and called 911.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue transported Glantz to the hospital where she died hours later.