by (CNN Spanish) — In Ecuador, Bella Montoya – the 76-year-old woman who woke up during her funeral a week ago – died on Friday after staying in the intensive care unit of the Martín Icaza General Hospital in the coastal city of Babahoyo, Los Rios.
The Ecuadorian public health ministry confirmed that Montoya remained in intensive care for seven days “in critical condition and with an ischemic cerebrovascular accident”.
“During her hospital stay, she received comprehensive medical care and periodic evaluations by hospital specialists. Likewise, the respective medical examination was carried out for this case,” the ministry said in a statement.
Gilbert Barberán, the woman’s son, told CNN that Montoya died on Friday afternoon.
“Yes, my mother died at 5 in the afternoon. We are already watching over her ”, reported Barberán, who also specified that he must carry out new procedures in the civil register to register his mother’s death for the second time.
While Zeneida Leal, Montoya’s daughter, told CNN that her mother has gotten worse in recent days after waking up from the funeral and being admitted to intensive care.
“The doctor said my mother was sick. She that she was very delicate. She that she suffered from kidney failure. That she couldn’t be saved because everything was getting complicated and he went into respiratory arrest,” Leal told CNN.
Additionally, she explained that her mother suffered a stroke when she was admitted to the hospital last week before she was pronounced dead.
How did the Montoya case come about?
After being pronounced dead, Montoya was found with vital signs and coffin-beating during her funeral. The surprised and shocked relatives reported the incident on June 10 through a video that went viral on social media and confirmed that, after opening the coffin, they had noticed that the woman was still breathing.
“I took the coffin, and her heart was pounding, and her left hand was hitting the coffin… We called 911 to bring her here to the hospital,” Barberán said in the video posted on social media. .
Upon discovery, they called 911 who transferred her to the Martín Icaza de Babahoyo hospital for treatment.
The Ecuadorian Ministry of Health said in a June 11 statement that Montoya was admitted to the same hospital with a presumed diagnosis of “cerebrovascular accident”.
Subsequently, according to the institution, the 76-year-old woman had a “cardiorespiratory arrest” to which she did not respond after performing resuscitation maneuvers, for which the attending physician on duty confirmed her death.
An open investigation
The Martin Icaza de Babahoyo hospital belongs to the state, which is why the Ministry of Health announced on June 11 that it had convened a medical monitoring committee to assess responsibilities in the Montoya case.
“To thoroughly analyze this case, the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Health Services Quality Assurance Agency has formed a National Technical Committee and will initiate a medical audit to establish responsibilities for the alleged confirmation of death,” he has declared. relevant ministry.
CNN communicated this Friday evening with the Ecuadorian Ministry of Health to find out if the investigation has been closed and if there are any definitive conclusions on the Montoya case. CNN is awaiting a response.
