Just 16 hours after she was declared dead, an 8-month-old stunned mourners by clutching the fingers of a grieving family member who reached into the tiny white coffin to gently touch the baby girl one last time.
On the morning of October 19, 2024, Cristiano Santos and Katia Moreira were launched into every parent’s worst nightmare when they found their 8-month-old daughter, Kiara, unresponsive. Desperate to save their baby girl, the couple rushed her to Faustino Riscarolli Hospital in Correia Pinto, a quiet town in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
But their hopes for a miracle were quickly shattered when doctors reported no breathing, no pulse, and no signs of life.
After a short time, Kiara was officially declared dead, and her devastated parents acted quickly in preparing for the burial that would take place later that evening.
Horrifying resurrection
Hours later, as loved ones gathered around the tiny white coffin where Kiara lay still, they said their final goodbyes when one mourner made a startling discovery.
The baby’s hand twitched from inside the open casket.
And when another reached out and gently touched her fingers, Kiara tightly gripped back, according to the Mirror.
Gasps, tears and screams filled the room as heartbreak turned to horror and then hope.
No rigor mortis
When the emergency team arrived, they made a discovery that deepened the mystery. The Mirror reports that Kiara still had a pulse and her oxygen saturation level was 84% – “dangerously low” levels that demand “immediate medical attention,” explains the Cleveland Clinic.
Equally shocking was that Kiara’s body showed no signs of rigor mortis, the stiffening of the body that typically occurs 6 to 8 hours after death.
Dead again
The baby was alive again and paramedics rushed her back to the same hospital that had pronounced her dead just 16 hours earlier.
But despite their efforts, Kiara’s heart stopped, and she was declared dead – again.
And the emotional toll on Kiara’s family was unimaginable, according to local media, per the Mirror: “We were devastated already. Then there came a little bit of hope, but then this ended up happening,” the little girl’s dad Cristiano said of the daughter he called “my miracle.”
Investigation
Brazil’s Scientific Police – forensics – were called in to investigate the errors leading up to Kiara being declared dead twice in only 16 hours, by the same hospital.
In response to mounting public outcry, Correia Pinto City Hall issued an official apology to the family and announced a 30-day investigation into the incident.
A city spokesperson said: “The Municipality of Correia Pinto reiterates its commitment to provide the best care for all citizens, and reinforces that, under no circumstances, can any professional issue certificates or statements without proper authentication of the patient’s condition. In addition, all health professionals are constantly oriented and trained, ensuring that people’s lives and well-being are always the priority.”
They also stated that all healthcare professionals are trained to prioritize life and are expected to adhere strictly to procedural checks when confirming a patient’s death.
‘A life that was in vain’
While it has been more than 30 days, the findings of the investigation are still not clear.
However, Cristiano did share a message on Facebook, raging about what appears to be results that supported the hospital’s twice declaration of death.
“The answer we were expecting would come, really did…A life that was in vain. Just died of natural causes??? How is this natural cause??? Just died and no one needs to know???” the grieving father writes in the January 30 post.
“What they did for my daughter can’t be done to a dog! God will charge, we were already expecting this answer, after all, the rope only breaks from the weaker side! God is watching! The world has seen it!”
