US hospital keeps woman’s body in morgue for year after telling family she was discharged

Jessie Marie Peterson, who had diabetes, was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center on April 6 last year. Days later, her mother contacted the hospital for information and was told that her daughter had been discharged, according to the family’s lawsuit filed in Sacramento County Superior Court this month, NBC reported.

Peterson’s family later filed a missing person report and searched for her. However, on April 12 this year, the Sacramento County Detective’s Office informed them that Peterson’s body had been found at Mercy San Juan hospital.

By the time her body was discovered, it had decomposed to a degree that made it impossible to determine whether medical malpractice had occurred. Hospital records show that Peterson actually died on April 8 last year and was stored in an off-site cold storage unit. Her death certificate was only signed on April 4 of this year.

The family’s lawsuit claims that this was not the first incident of alleged mishandling by the hospital. Following the public disclosure of Peterson’s case, the family’s attorney, Marc Greenberg, stated that he had received multiple calls from individuals reporting similar experiences at hospitals under Dignity Health, the parent company of Mercy San Juan Medical Center, USA Today reported.

The family is seeking $25 million in damages for alleged negligence.