Death is something we are all curious about. What happens to our body when we die? What happens to it afterwards? We will all, at some point, pass away - but very few of us will come back to tell the tale. That’s what happened to this woman, Essie Dunbar, who was pronounced dead after suffering an attack of epilepsy. The family even prepared for a funeral, and Essie was placed in a coffin.
Discover our latest podcast
However, at a critical point, her family made a decision which saved her life. Essie had come back to life, and would have been buried alive if it weren’t for this magically serendipitous moment. Here’s her incredible story.
Essie Dunbar’s funeral
Essie was only 30 years old when she died. She had suffered an epileptic episode, and doctors had pronounced her dead. Her family were devastated, and organised her funeral for the very next day. However, one of her siblings was late to the service, which turned out to be an absolute godsend. Why? The sibling in question asked to see their sister one more time before she was placed 6 foot under forever more.
Amazingly, the ministers agreed to dig her coffin up and open it so that the sibling could say a proper goodbye. The screws were duly removed and the coffin was opened. What happened next shocked everyone present.
Essie came back to life
When the coffin was opened, Essie sat up and smiled. According to reports, this caused a wave of shock in the funeral goers and even caused the three ministers present to fall backwards - into the grave! One broke his ribs as his colleagues fell on top of him. Even Essie’s sister, the story goes, thought that she was a ghost - remember, this story dates back to 1915. Her sister fled as Essie clambered out of her coffin and set her feet back firmly on the ground.
This wild event took place in South Carolina, where Essie was then viewed with suspicion for years to come. Even today, it is hard for us to grasp the reality of someone dying and coming back to life, but back then she was viewed as a zombie who had arisen from the cold ground. However, as these things often go, people got used to the reality of the situation. In the end, she became a bit of a local celebrity as her story was shared across continents.
Dr. O.D. Hammond, who treated one of the ministers who feel at Essie’s funeral, told the Augusta Chronicle that Essie has ‘many friends’:
She gets a nice-sized welfare check monthly and earns some money picking cotton.
She lived for another 47 years before dying (again) in 1955. Nothing wild happened at her second funeral, which was reported as follows:
Final Funeral Held For South Carolina Woman.
Read more:
⋙ This woman who was declared dead wakes up 8 hours later during her funeral (VIDEO)
⋙ 90-year-old woman was declared dead, what happened next shocked her doctors
⋙ Man 'locked' inside his own body for 10 years heard his mum reveal this terrible desire
Sources used:
DailyStar: 'Dead' woman found alive and 'smiling' in coffin after being dug up at last second
ATI: The Strange Story Of Essie Dunbar, The South Carolina Woman Who Was Allegedly Buried Alive In 1915
