Man who was officially declared ‘dead’ found alive months later
Topics: US News, Drugs, Mental Health
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: YouTube / Fox 12 Oregon
Topics: US News, Drugs, Mental Health
**Warning: Contains discussion of drug use and overdose.**
A man from Oregon has been discovered alive after being pronounced dead months earlier.
Tyler Chase from Oregon, Portland was pronounced dead by a Multnomah County Medical examiner on September 11 2023.
However, months later, his family discovered the 22-year-old was alive and well.
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Chase and a family member have since spoken out about the ordeal and how the mix-up occurred. Prepare to be baffled:
When a man was pronounced dead last year after being discovered in a parking lot, the person's death was ruled as a drug overdose and Chase's family were told it was him - the 23-year-old's name written on the death certificate.
Chase's cousin, Latasha Rosales, told NBC News the 'small' family had only just lost Chase's mom in 2020 and she took to social media after the family received the news of her cousin's alleged passing to write: "My heart is so heavy today rest in peace baby cousin Tyler."
The body was then cremated on October 1 and the ashes collected by Chase's family, however, on December 19 the family made a shocking discovery.
Rosales received a phone call from the medical examiner's office which had processed the body.
She was told there'd been 'a mistake' and the body wasn't actually her cousin and so the ashes sitting in the family's house weren't Chase's.
And to prove it, the office then put Chase on Facetime with his cousin.
"It was so surreal and it just didn't even, I can't even explain it," Rosales said.
But where had he been all those months?
Well, NBC News reports Chase had been in a drug treatment center which meant he'd not been in contact with his family.
Chase has since spoken out about the ordeal, telling FOX 12 Investigates he hadn't had contact with his family for several years and only discovered they thought he was dead when he went to collect his food assistance benefits and checks on his social security and ID classified him as 'dead'.
Thankfully, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office tracked him down, explained the mix-up and put him in touch with his family.
A spokesperson from Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office told FOX 12 Investigates: "We deeply regret that the misidentification happened.
"The misidentification occurred because the deceased person was carrying Mr. Tyler Chase’s wallet and his official temporary Oregon driver’s license."
The spokesperson also said the office has 'launched a comprehensive review to identify any gaps in current practices and is working to implement an institutional change'.
They resolved: "Going forward, all individuals who are found with a temporary state-issued identification must also have fingerprints submitted for positive identification, to ensure that this will never happen again."
The office notes the true identify of the deceased man has since been ascertained, but his family have asked for privacy.
UNILAD has contacted Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.