Teen Wakes Up in Coffin at Own Funeral in Guatemala

A 15-year-old girl in Guatemala reportedly woke up inside her coffin during her own funeral, astonishing mourners and family members.

The incident unfolded after the teen, identified as Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, reportedly passed out while being transported to a medical facility by her father, Abraham Ixcotoyac. Ixcotoyac, an evangelical pastor, claimed to find no pulse or breathing in his daughter and pronounced her dead at the scene.

"She had simply ceased to exist, she died on the way," Ixcotoyac told local media. "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."

Despite the father's declaration, a medical doctor never officially confirmed the girl's death, and no death certificate was issued. Due to a local custom of quick burials, a coffin was purchased, and a funeral was arranged for the same afternoon, approximately eight hours after she had collapsed.

During the wake at the family's home in the rural village of El Jocote, attendees gathered around the casket. Yuleidy's mother, Lesvia Ríos, noticed faint movement within the coffin. "I kept saying she was alive; she wasn’t dead," the mother stated. "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."

Footage from the event shows the confused and shaken girl sitting up in the coffin. Family members assisted her out, and she was given water. The initial grief among attendees quickly turned to joy, with many exclaiming "hallelujah."

Ixcotoyac later recounted the experience, describing a severe heart pain followed by blacking out. She is now conscious and recovering at home, expressing gratitude for being alive.

The video of the incident has circulated widely online, prompting reactions ranging from calling it a "miracle" to expressing concern for the girl's trauma. Some social media users joked about the speed of the funeral arrangements and expressed personal fears of similar occurrences.

Guatemalan health authorities have not yet commented on the incident.