Six days after she died ‘zombie gran’ climbed out of coffin and cooked a meal | World | News

The passing of Li Xiufeng, a respected village elder at the age of 95, left her neighbours in deep sorrow.

After suffering a severe fall and injuring her head, she was found lifeless in bed on a chilly winter morning. Her neighbours declared her dead and began preparations for their final farewells.

Li’s neighbour, 60-year-old Chen Qingwang, who had been bringing her breakfast every day since her fall, discovered her. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t wake her up.

Recalling the events of that fateful day in February 2012, Chen said: “I came to wake her up. No matter how hard I pushed her and called her name, she had no reactions. I felt something was wrong, so I tried her breath, and she has gone. But her body is still not cold.”

However, when Mrs Xiufeng’s coffin was found empty just days later, a wave of bizarre panic swept through the community. The reality turned out to be far stranger than anyone could have imagined, reports the Mirror.

In February 2012, Li Xiufeng, aged 95, was found unresponsive by a neighbour in Beiliu, a city nestled in the mountainous and ancient Chinese province of Guangxi.

Living alone in Beiliu, a city nestled within the mountainous and ancient Chinese province of Guangxi, Mrs Xiufeng was cared for by her neighbour, Mr Qingwang, who ensured she received a proper burial. In line with Chinese tradition, the coffin of the deceased is left open in their home for several days, allowing family and friends to pay their final respects.

Mrs Xiufeng was placed in her coffin on 19 February, two days after she was discovered “dead”. Her funeral was scheduled for six days later.

However, on 24 February, the day before the ceremony, Mr Qingwang visited his neighbour’s home and was stunned to find her coffin empty and her body missing. He exclaimed: “We were so terrified, and immediately asked the neighbours to come for help.”

The local community began a search, speculating about what could have possibly occurred. They feared something sinister – perhaps a grave robbery or another horrific crime.

But the reality was much closer to home, albeit far stranger. Upon entering the home’s kitchen, the neighbours found Mrs Xiufeng calmly sitting on a stool, preparing herself a meal.

She reportedly told them: “I slept for a long time. After waking up I felt so hungry and wanted to cook something to eat. I pushed the lid for a long time to climb out.”

Initially, doctors were perplexed. However, after examining Mrs Xiufeng, they concluded that she had experienced a rare condition known as “artificial death”, where a person’s breathing ceases but their body remains warm.

A doctor at the hospital stated: “Thanks to the local tradition of parking the coffin in the house for several days, she could be saved.”

However, Mrs Xiufeng’s miraculous recovery was not without its drawbacks. According to local customs, after a person dies, all their earthly belongings must be burnt so they can follow them into the afterlife.

This meant that although Mrs Xiufeng was saved, her possessions were not, tragically leaving the death-defier with nothing.

Mrs Xiufeng is not the only case of “artificial death”. In 1915, a funeral was held for 32-year-old Essie Dunbar in South Carolina, USA, after she had suffered an epileptic fit in her sleep.

But when her sister asked to see Mrs Dunbar’s body one more time and had her coffin opened, she was surprised to see Essie sit up in her coffin and give her a smile.

Ministers were reportedly so shocked that they fainted and fell into Mrs Dunbar’s grave, with one breaking three ribs. In 2014, a 78-year-old Mississippi man named Walter Williams was pronounced dead.

When his corpse was sent to the morgue in a body bag though, the coroners noticed movement. Mr Williams was literally alive and kicking.