Family discover daughter, 15, is alive in her coffin during her wake

Published: 04:02 EDT, 13 October 2026 | Updated: 04:02 EDT, 13 October 2026

A 15-year-old girl sat up in her coffin during her wake in Guatemala – eight hours after she had been declared dead.

Yuleidy Ixcotoyac lost consciousness while her father was driving her to a medical center in the early hours of October 10.

Abraham Ixcotoyac, an evangelical pastor, stopped the car, checked for a pulse and breathing, and concluded that she had died after being unable to find either.

Miracle! Yuleidy Ixcotoyac, 15, was lifted out of her coffin at her own wake in Guatemala eight hours after she was declared dead by her father

The family purchased a coffin without a doctor examining her or issuing a death certificate and returned home to begin the wake.

Mourners gathered at the house in El Jocote, Quiche Department at around 2.30pm that day.

The girl’s mother, Lesvia Rios, leaned over the coffin in tears and noticed movement inside.

The family were left totally stunned when the schoolgirl opened her eyes and sat upright in the coffin.

Lesvia told local media: ‘I kept saying she was alive; she wasn’t dead.’

Best surprise: Family members rushed to care for Yuleidy after she opened her eyes and sat up in her coffin

Lesvia continued: ‘When I was crying on top of her casket, we opened the window and she was moving, she was waking up and suddenly she sat up.’

Shocked loved ones offered the young girl water and helped the teenager out of the coffin in footage that was shared online.

The girl later described the moments before she collapsed.

Yuleidy said: ‘My heart started hurting really badly; it felt heavy and then I blacked out, like I fainted.’

Missing piece: Yuleidy was being driven to the hospital when she lost conciousness and her father decalred her dead. She did not go to hospital after

Yuleidy continued: ‘I have no way to thank God for everything he has done in my life. It was a miracle.’

Her father confirmed that his daughter never reached a clinic.

He said: ‘I pulled over, parked my car and went to her and saw the situation that she had simply ceased to exist, she died on the way.

‘I saw that she was no longer breathing and I couldn’t feel her pulse on her wrists. It was a very difficult situation for me. She did not go to hospital.’

Helping hand: Shocked loved ones offered the teen water and helped her out of the coffin

Community members who had assembled for the funeral switched from grief to celebration within seconds, with the family hailing the teenager’s recovery a divine intervention.

Yuleidy is said to be conscious and recovering at home, although she mentioned her hands were still trembling.

Guatemalan health authorities have issued no medical findings on the incident.