Imagine you’re a pathologist, going through the daily grind (literally – because in case you did not know – a pathologist performs autopsies by opening up dead bodies), when you hear one of the deceased suddenly begin to snore! Well, this became a reality for three unsuspecting doctors in Spain.

Gonzalo Montoya Jimenez, 29-year-old man, was a prisoner at a jail in northern Spain. He was found unconscious in his cell and believed to be dead according to the Spanish news outlet La Voz de Asturias. Three forensic doctors allegedly examined Jimenez and confirmed his death. Four hours later, right before his autopsy, he (thankfully for him) was heard making noises and found to still be alive. Jimenez’s body even had the marks painted on it to guide the autopsy, according to a family member. He has now regained consciousness and is in the intensive care unit at the Central University Hospital of Asturias in Oviedo, Spain.

So how exactly does something like this happen?

A person maybe declared dead when one of two things happen: their heart stops beating and does not start again, or they are “brain-dead.” When a person is considered “brain-dead”, they no longer have any activity in the brain or brain stem. Dr. Diana Greene-Chandos, an assistant professor of neurological surgery and neurology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center stated,”Doctors perform a number of tests to determine whether someone is brain dead, such as checking whether the individual can initiate his or her own breath.”

Jimenez’s family reported that Jimenez had epilepsy and they suspect the condition may have played a role in the unusual circumstances of his presumed death. Some people with epilepsy can experience a condition called catalepsy state in which their muscles become rigid and they are unresponsive.

Source: CBSNEWS.com