10 Strange Cases of People Who Rose From the Dead

History is rich with stories about dead people who awoke in their coffins. Take for example Margorie McCall, who, according to an Irish Legend, was called the Lady with the Ring. He reportedly died of fever in 1705 and was quickly buried six feet under, as people wanted to prevent her sickness from spreading. But on the evening of her burial, some snatchers dug her up, hoping to steal her expensive ring and sell her body.

Apparently, Margorie woke up and let out a loud scream as one of the snatchers tried to cut her finger off. One account suggests that the shocked robbers died on the very spot she was buried, though some say that they fled and never raided another dead body again.

Well here are 10 more stories of people who, in some ways, found a way to rise from the dead.

#10. Essie Dunbar

The 32-year-old woman was declared dead after suffering from epilepsy. Her body was placed in a coffin and was meant for burial the following day. Surprisingly, Essie rose and sat up on her coffin, and she even smiled at the people paying respects. The three ministers who were there to oversee the burial fell right into the grave, with one of them suffering from a broken rib. Years later, people believed that Essie was a zombie that found a way to return from death.

#9. Matthew Wall

While preparing for his marriage, Matthew faced his demise – or, at least, was presumed to be dead. As he was being carried to the village church inside his coffin, he suddenly woke up and started banging it. Apparently, he only suffered from a coma. He then went to marry her wife and had 2 sons.

#8. Mrs. Blunden

Like the aforementioned, Mrs. Blunden also had the misfortune of being declared dead. The only catch was that she woke up not once but twice. She was ill and feel deep into slumber, which was caused by drinking poppy water. And since her body turned cold and she was neither breathing nor responding, she was thought to be dead. Her supposed dead body was exhumed after children complaint of hearing sounds coming from her grave. Her body was full of wounds and bruises, but still, no sign of life was detected. Hence she got buried again. When her body was exhumed once again, she was with more injuries. She also had bitten in her mouth and tore her clothes.

#7. An Unnamed Girl

Sometime in the 1850s, a young girl whose name remains unknown appeared to have died of diphtheria. She was summarily declared to be dead and thus a burial followed. This was to prevent her illness from spreading any further. She was buried in a mausoleum owned by a local family. Apparently, the mausoleum was opened years after a member of the family died due to the ongoing civil war. And to their surprise, a skeleton was found just right behind the door. This proved that the girl woke up from her coffin and tried to escape but to no avail.

#6. Margaret “Maggie” Dickson

Margaret was both tried and hanged because of a bizarre crime: concealing her pregnancy. Back then, she was separated from her husband which forced her to take a job at an inn. While there, she started to develop an affair with the son of the property. This resulted in her pregnancy, but she hid it for the fear of losing her job. Unfortunately, the baby came to the world weak and died a few days after.

But since the pregnancy was kept secret, she could never bury the child. She instead dumped the dead body in the river. Unfortunately for her, the baby’s body was found in a riverbank the same day and was traced directly to her. This hanged Maggie at the gallows, and her body was then placed in a coffin. She woke up while being transferred to her grave. Her supposed resurrection was deemed “an act of God” by the people, as they believe that the divine intervention gave her a second life.

#5. An Unnamed French Gendarme

The Press Democrat in 1889 reported a story of a French gendarme (a police officer basically) who was almost buried alive. He basically went on a trance-like sleep, allowing people to presume him dead. As he was being lowered into a grave, he kept banging the coffin and thus the burial was immediately stopped. Unfortunately, the gendarme hit his head on the coffin and died.

#4. Eleanor Markham

Eleanor kept complaining about her heart problems, just two weeks before her supposed death. Her health, however, continued to decline and thus the doctor declared her dead. Two days after, she placed in a coffin and was slated for burial.

Surprisingly, she woke up and made noises as her coffin was being taken into the vehicle. Her coffin was opened, and Eleanor cried as she thought she was going to be buried alive. Eleanor claimed that she was conscious all throughout the process.

#3. An Unnamed Three-Year-Old Boy

The son of Mrs. J. Burney sat upon his coffin, just as he was about to be buried. The boy just stared straight at his grandmother Mrs. L. Smith, who, unfortunately, passed away immediately due to being shocked. The boy, however, became unconscious and fell back into the coffin. A doctor later declared the kid to be dead.

#2. Octavia Hatcher

After losing her only son, Octavia fell into great depression. She even barely eat and refused to leave her bed. This resulted to her getting an illness which eventually led to a coma. After being declared dead, her family arranged for her immediate burial. A few days later, her husband’s family noticed that other townspeople had been in comas and were all recovering and waking up. He then rushed into the grave, as she suspected Octavia to be alive. They were too late, though. Oliver had already awoken and had tried to get out but could not.

#1. Madame Bobin

Madame Bobin was reported to have died from a yellow fever, resulting to a stiffened body. She was promptly buried, but a nurse who saw her before her burial claimed that Madame Bobin was not as cold as expected. She even noticed little movements, suggesting that Madame Bobin might not just be dead. Her father decided to have her body exhumed and was shocked to see that her daughter gave birth to a child while inside the coffin. The autopsy later revealed that she actually did not suffer from yellow fever and was fully alive at the time of burial.