embalm

In 2020, a woman in Michigan with cerebral palsy was declared dead by paramedics but was discovered to be breathing hours later by a funeral home worker who was preparing to embalm her body.

Before the 90-day waiting period is over, mortuaries are not allowed to embalm or cremate people without authorization from their next of kin, so the cooler is the only way to keep remains preserved.

She and her colleagues also embalm about 65% of the bodies, preserving them for longer and slowing down decomposition.

“I was like, ‘Let’s embalm her.

Scott was employed at Arkansas Central Mortuary Services, where part of her job was to transport, cremate and embalm remains.