Chaos at Funeral as ‘Dead’ Man Walks In Alive
A funeral in northern Argentina erupted in shock when a 22-year-old man, previously declared dead, walked into his own wake and stunned mourners by announcing, “I am alive!.”
The emotional gathering in Alderetes, near Córdoba, had been arranged to bid farewell to the young man until he arrived in person, sparking confusion, panic, and a police investigation.
The bizarre mix-up began on Thursday, September 18, when a man was fatally struck by a sugarcane truck.
Authorities initially suspected suicide but later reclassified the case as negligent homicide.
A woman, believing the victim was her son, identified the body based on clothing and physical features.
With no further verification, officials released the remains to the family, who organized a funeral over the weekend.
But during the ceremony, the woman’s son—whose name has not been released walked in alive and well.
According to reports, he had been on a drinking binge in Alderetes for several days and was unaware of the tragedy unfolding at home.
“I am alive!” he exclaimed to the stunned crowd, many of whom had already begun mourning his loss.
The shocking moment raised a chilling question: if he was alive, then who was in the coffin?
Police quickly escorted him to the station for questioning, while the body was returned to the morgue for proper identification.
As reported by Mirror.co.uk, the deceased was later identified as Maximiliano Enrique Acosta, 28, from the nearby town of Delfín Gallo.
His family was notified, and a second funeral was held on Tuesday, September 23.
However, the ordeal continued with yet another blunder—Maximiliano’s relatives were initially shown the wrong body.
Maximiliano’s brother, Hernán, expressed deep frustration over the handling of the case.
“Everything was wrong from the beginning. First, they handed over the body without proper identification. Then they made me go to the morgue twice.
“We shouldn’t have to go through this after everything we suffered,”he said.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has since launched an internal investigation to determine how the misidentification occurred and why protocols failed.
The case has raised serious concerns about forensic procedures and administrative oversight in Argentina’s justice system.
