Guatemala authorities investigate teen waking during wake

Authorities in Guatemala are investigating the circumstances surrounding a 15-year-old girl, identified as Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, who reportedly showed signs of life while being held in a casket during a wake in Sacapulas, Quiché.

The incident occurred in the village of El Jocote. According to her father, the teenager experienced severe chest pains during the early morning hours. He claimed that while attempting to transport her to a medical center, she stopped breathing and lost her pulse. Rather than continuing to a hospital, the father returned to the community, where the family arranged a wake at their home without a medical certification of death.

During the ceremony, attendees noticed movement inside the coffin and discovered the girl was still alive. The Attorney General's Office and the Office of the Procurator General of the Nation (PGN), through the Office of Children and Adolescents, have launched an investigation into potential family negligence regarding the lack of medical examination.