Man Alive at Own Funeral Stuns Family
A case of mistaken identity left two families stunned at a funeral in Alagoinhas, Brazil. Chaos ensued when the man pronounced dead showed up at his own funeral and was found to be in perfect health.
"The confusion started when news started circulating that a car washer had been shot dead," Jose Marcos' wife Ana Paula told the UOL Internet news portal. "Police called my husband and told him that his brother had been killed and his body was at the morgue."
Gilberto Marcos' supposed body was then taken to the family home for a wake after being identified by his brother Jose. Yet unbeknownst to the family, Jose had identified the wrong person and his brother was actually very much alive. During the wake, Gilberto walked in on the wake and asked why his family was in mourning.
What had happened was that Jose had identified the body of Genivaldo Santos Gama, whose body was in the morgue.
"The two men closely resembled each other and both worked as car washers," Police Inspector Roberto Lima told the Associated Press.
Before Santos could be buried, a friend noticed Gilberto "walking down the street and told him that his family was mourning him, so he went to his mother's home to let everyone know he was very much alive," Lima added.
The family of Genivaldo Santos was then notified of the misunderstanding and took their family member home for another wake. It came as a bit of a shock to both families that something like this could happen, and as the Santos family mourns, the Marcos family is rejoicing for the return of their Gilberto.
"I am overjoyed. What mother wouldn't be after being told that her son is dead and then sees him alive," Gilberto's mother, Marina Santana told AP.
