Teen Regains Consciousness During Funeral in Guatemala

A video has captured the moment a 15-year-old girl, Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, who was believed to be dead, woke up inside her coffin at her funeral in Guatemala. The incident occurred after she reportedly passed out while being driven to a medical center by her father, Abraham Ixcotoyac. The father, an evangelical pastor, stopped the car and checked for his daughter's pulse and breathing. He claimed to find neither and declared her dead early Saturday morning. He stated, "She had simply ceased to exist, she died on the way." A doctor did not confirm the diagnosis, and an official death certificate was never issued. Due to local customs of burying loved ones soon after passing, a coffin was purchased, and a funeral was arranged just eight hours after she collapsed. At approximately 2:30 p.m., mourners gathered at the family home in the rural village of El Jocote. During the wake, Yuleidy's mother, Lesvia Ríos, noticed faint movement inside the coffin. She said, "I kept saying she was alive; she wasn’t dead." After opening the casket, Yuleidy sat up and began speaking, surprising her family. They assisted her out of the coffin and offered her water, transitioning from grief to joy. Yuleidy recounted her experience, stating, "My heart started hurting really badly, it felt heavy and then I blacked out, like I fainted." She is now recovering at home and expressed gratitude for being alive. The video of the incident has gone viral, with various reactions on social media. Guatemalan health authorities have not commented on the situation.