Picture awakening to an enveloping darkness, where each breath feels increasingly labored as your lungs grapple for air. You voice a cry for help, quickly realizing it’s futile—no one can hear you. As you contemplate an escape, the grim truth dawns: you’re trapped within a box that confines you, and everyone believes you are lifeless.

The concept of being buried alive is typically reserved for the spine-chilling climax of horror films, the pages of disturbing novels, or the nightmares some encounter safely tucked in their beds.

In the age of advanced technology and medical breakthroughs, it’s unlikely that a tragic accidental burial could occur—right? Think again.

A.J. Griffiths-Jones’ newly released novel, “Buried Alive,” published by Pen and Sword, explores chilling true incidents from the depths beneath our feet—real accounts of individuals who have suffered the nightmare of being buried alive.

From awakening on a morgue table to haunting calls for help echoing from the ground, Griffiths-Jones reveals a dozen harrowing stories throughout the book’s twelve chapters.

These accounts span from the early 1800s to recent happenings in 2023, offering an unsettling glimpse into these remarkable tales.

Zipped Inside a Body Bag – and Alive

In December 2022, a 66-year-old woman from Iowa, suffering from dementia, anxiety, and depression, was moved to hospice care due to severe cognitive decline. Following treatment with morphine and Xanax, hospice staff reported that the woman showed no pulse or signs of breathing after a long shift in January 2023.

A 66-year-old Iowa woman, initially declared dead, astonishingly revived when a funeral home employee opened her body bag.

After the staff member declared her deceased and she was placed in a body bag for transport to a local funeral home, a shocking discovery was made when the staff found her alive, gasping for air as the bag was unzipped.

As a result of this incident, Glen Oaks Alzheimer Special Care Center faced a $10,000 fine for failing to uphold operational responsibilities at the facility. Tragically, the woman passed away just two days later after returning to hospice care.

Children Hear Screams from Beneath

In Thessaloniki, Greece, a group of children playing near a cemetery in 2014 heard eerie muffled cries soon after a burial service ended. Their innocent game turned frightening as they identified a woman’s voice pleading for help emanating from the ground beneath them. Family members of the deceased confirmed hearing similar cries shortly after the burial.

When authorities arrived, they unearthed a 45-year-old woman, who had been mistakenly pronounced dead by a doctor while receiving cancer treatment. She tragically succumbed to suffocation before rescuers could reach her. Her family successfully sued the medical facility, although the settlement details remain unclear.

File photo of a cemetery in Greece, where children reported hearing desperate cries from underground.

‘Dead’ Man Revives During Autopsy

Carlos Camejo, a 33-year-old man from Venezuela, met a near-fatal fate following a traffic accident in 2007. Declared dead, he was transported to a morgue, where medical examiners realized something was terribly awry upon making their first incision.

Carlos Camejo, who miraculously revived during an autopsy after a facial incision was made.

As the medical team saw blood flow and witnessed him regain consciousness, they promptly stitched him up and moved him to a recovery room—where, to his wife’s astonishment, he was alive and awake.

Woman Wakes During Her Own Funeral

Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov, a 49-year-old woman from Kazan, Russia, collapsed at home in 2011 from chest pain. Doctors deemed her dead after a supposed heart attack. However, during her funeral two days later, she awakens to alarming cries from mourners gathered around her casket.

Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov, pronounced dead, startled family members by awakening during her funeral service.

Upon awakening, Mukhametzyanov screamed, horrifying those around her before sadly passing away shortly after.

She opened her eyes amidst the mourning, screaming upon the shocking realization of her surroundings. Unfortunately, she suffered cardiac arrest mere minutes later, passing away from shock shortly after being returned to the hospital.

Trapped for 48 Hours in a Morgue Freezer

In March 1993, after a car accident in Sebokeng, South Africa, Sipho William Mdletshe was wrongly declared dead. While his fiancée had survived, he was placed in a morgue freezer, where he lay alive for almost two days.

Sipho William Mdletshe was mistakenly declared dead in 1993 and spent 48 hours alive in a morgue freezer.

Eventually, he regained enough awareness to realize the dire situation he was in. His screams alerted the mortuary workers, who came to his rescue.

After what should have been a heartwarming reunion, Mdletshe was met with horror as his fiancée rejected him, convinced he had returned as a zombie.

Woman Rises from Her Coffin at the Cemetery

In 1915, 30-year-old Essie Dunbar from South Carolina was declared dead after suffering an epileptic seizure. Her family prepared for her burial, but fate had other plans.

Essie Dunbar shocked attendees when she sat up and smiled moments before her burial service.

Essie Dunbar continued living for 40 years after her miraculous revival, passing away in 1955 at the age of 97.

Just as the service began, Dunbar’s sister—who had not heard of her sibling’s passing—arrived at the cemetery to see her one last time. Amidst the mounting anxiety, her coffin was reopened. Suddenly, Dunbar sat up and smiled at her sister, causing chaos among attendees; three ministers even fell into the grave in fear, with one suffering broken ribs in the process. Despite the shock, Dunbar lived an additional four decades before passing at the age of 97.

Woman Gives Birth While Buried Alive

In 1901, Mademoiselle Bobin traveled from Senegal to France, but upon arrival, health officials believed she had yellow fever. After a brief examination, she was declared dead and buried. Yet, one observant nurse felt uneasy about her condition just before the burial, suspecting that Bobin wasn’t actually lifeless.

Upon orders from Bobin’s father, her grave was reopened, and a shocking discovery awaited: she had given birth while buried, leaving behind a deceased infant. An autopsy later revealed that Bobin was not suffering from yellow fever; she had suffocated alongside her newborn.

Man Struggles to Escape His Grave

In 1890 Denver, Louis Brenner was mistakenly believed to be dead, leading to a chaotic scene at his funeral. Unexplainable circumstances surrounding his death prompted further investigation, leading to a horrifying revelation when his remains were retrieved from the grave.

The coffin lid was broken and splintered. Evidence of a fierce struggle was clear—his body was face down, and hair was torn from his scalp. These injuries strongly indicated that Brenner had fought desperately to escape his grave.

Self-Suffocation in a Grave

In 1824, a chambermaid who had been struck by lightning was buried the day after the incident. Doubts about her condition led to exhumation eight days later. The discovery was chilling: she had been alive during burial and exhibited signs of a desperate struggle within the grave.

Her injuries spoke volumes of her ordeal, leaving her a haunting reminder of her plight as she lay with blood stains and torn clothing, having suffocated while trying to escape.

Little Girl Breathes Before Burial

In January 1729, a milkwoman’s daughter was to be interred in Enfield, England. As she was about to be lowered into her grave, attendees noticed her fresh appearance, prompting them to question her state. One even held a mirror to her lips, revealing a chilling sign of life.

Despite their concerns, the mother insisted on proceeding with the burial. Ultimately, the grave was reopened, and the tragic sight of the little girl’s struggle for life was discovered with signs of her desperate fight within the coffin.

Mother Buries Her Newborn Alive

In March 1851, Maria Clarke was arrested for the murder of her six-week-old son, Arthur. Her chilling confession revealed that in a moment of panic about her relationship, she had made an unfathomable choice and buried him alive in a meadow.

An old newspaper clipping featuring Maria Clarke’s confession to her child’s burial.

Clarke’s disturbing account detailed how she dug a grave for her son and buried him, desperately trying to silence his cries below. In a heart-wrenching moment, she sat nearby, listening to him cry before turning away to leave.

Teenager Trapped Under Snow for 51 Days

In May 1893, Alexandrina Schitkine, a 17-year-old girl, fell asleep near the village of Bogorodskaya, Russia, only to awaken buried beneath three feet of fresh snow. With no means of escape and only a few loaves of bread, she remained entombed for over a month.

Finally discovered in late June, Alexandrina was taken into care and required extensive treatment to recover from malnutrition. Surprisingly, she claimed not to have felt excessively cold during her 51-day ordeal, experiencing only occasional shivers.

Buried Alive: A History of Premature Burials and Accidental Interments by AJ Griffiths-Jones published by Pen and Sword is available now.