Woman turned up alive 13 days after her funeral

The family of 50-year-old Sharolyn Jackson was overjoyed to learn that, 13 days after they held a funeral and burial, Jackson is, in fact, alive. The services were held on August 3rd after the Philadelphia Medical Examiner had signed a death certificate for Jackson and a body, thought to be hers, was laid to rest.



Then, last Friday, Jackson showed up at a Mental Health Facility. Her family was elated, but an investigation has now been opened to determine who is buried in the grave thought to be hers. So far, city officials say they know the body is that of an unidentified woman who was found dead from natural causes on July 20th on a West Philadelphia street, her body taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

When a social worker who knows Jackson - and her son - both identified pictures of the dead woman as Ms. Jackson, the Medical Examiner’s Office signed a death certificate, allowing an undertaker to remove her body for funeral services and burial. A representative of the Philadelphia Health Department says all proper procedures were followed by workers and, with two people, including a family member, identifying her, it was following protocol to release the body.


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The representative now says city officials are expected to seek an order to exhume the unknown body so steps can be taken to identify her. Jackson’s family say that while they are very happy to know their loved one is alive, they feel great sorrow for the family of whoever is buried at the gravesite.