A Brazilian family faced the heartbreaking loss of the same relative twice when their nine-month-old daughter, Kiara Crislayne de Moura dos Santos, was declared dead at a hospital, found alive during her funeral, and then pronounced dead again after returning to the health facility in Santa Catarina. The tragic events unfolded when Kiara was initially admitted to Faustino Riscarolli Hospital in Correia Pinto on October 19 due to a viral fever. Doctors confirmed her death after failing to detect a pulse or breath.
During the family’s funeral, a shocking turn of events occurred when Kiara was seen moving in her coffin, prompting her family to halt the ceremony and rush her back to the hospital that had mistakenly declared her dead. Upon her return, doctors measured Kiara’s oxygen saturation level, discovering it was at 84 percent, which necessitated immediate admission to critical care. Further assessments revealed no signs of muscle stiffening, which typically occurs six to eight hours after death.
Despite the initial hope, Kiara’s condition deteriorated. It wasn’t until an ECG was performed that she flatlined and was pronounced dead for the second time. “We were devastated already. Then there came a little bit of hope, but then this ended up happening,” recalled Cristiano, Kiara’s father.
The investigation into Kiara’s death has been handed over to the Scientific Police of Brazil, who are looking into the circumstances surrounding her passing. The hospital asserts that it has strict procedures for verifying patients’ conditions, stating that medical professionals are not authorized to issue death certificates without following these protocols. They also emphasized that their medical team is thoroughly trained and always operates under the guidance of senior doctors.
