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Walter Williams dead: US man who woke up in a body bag dies two weeks later

The 78-year-old woke up in the funeral home in late February as he was about to be embalmed

Kashmira Gander
Thursday 13 March 2014 20:17 EDT
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Mr Williams pictured when he was recovering in hospital
Mr Williams pictured when he was recovering in hospital

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A man who was found alive in a body bag at funeral home when he was mistakenly pronounced dead, has died aged 78.

Walter Williams passed away at his home in Lexington, Mississippi at around 4:15 am on Thursday morning, according to Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard.

The elderly man died of natural causes, said Mr Howard.

Mr Williams's made headlines in February when he awoke as workers at Porter and Sons Funeral Home in the US state were preparing to embalm him and he began to move.

Paramedics rushed him to hospital, and he was released a few days later.

“We got him into the embalming room, and we noticed his legs beginning to move, like kicking,” Howard told US TV netowkr CNN last month.

“He also began to do a little breathing.”

Doctors say a mix of medicines may have caused his vital signs to appear unresponsive.

Family members also said Mr Williams's pacemaker may have stopped working and then started again.

“Every case I do is a learning experience,” Howard told the US TV network.

When asked what the Williams case taught him, he replied: “That miracles can happen.”

"I think he's gone this time," Williams' nephew, Eddie Hester, told CNN.

"It was a two-week miracle for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it, and my family did too," Hester added.

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