Baby dug out of grave after passerby 'heard it crying four days after burial'

16 September 2023 , 11:02

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Family members watched on with futile hope as the baby was exhumed (Image: Jam Press Vid)

A baby who was buried for four days was exhumed from his grave after a passerby said they “heard his cries” coming from the grave.

The boy had been pronounced dead due to severe fevers at only three months old, and was buried on Sunday 10 September - the day he passed. The boy was buried in a cemetery in Protección, Honduras, but was taken back out only 4 days later.

Someone close to the grieving family said that they heard his cries when they were walking past the cemetery on Thursday 14 September. Believing the baby may have been mistakenly buried alive, they rushed to tell the family about what they heard.

The grieving family, suddenly feeling some hope of a miracle, decided to exhume the baby from its resting place to check. Heartbreaking footage shows two family members desperately praying for signs of life as the baby is taken from the ground. Another relative tries to find any sign of life in the baby with their hands on his body - but the baby doesn’t move.

According to someone close to the family, the child was taken to the hospital but “showed no signs of life”. After confirming the baby was still dead the hospital returned the body to the crushed family, who reburied the baby after the tragic ordeal.

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

One family member placed their hands on the baby to look for signs of life (Jam Press)

The baby wasn't moving and it was later confirmed still dead by the hospital (Jam Press)

It is thought the newborn could have experienced a catalepsy, a neurological disorder causing muscle stiffness and the temporary loss of ability to respond to external stimuli or move around. Catalepsy is rare, and can also be a symptom of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy.

It can also be caused by antipsychotic medications, such as haloperidol for schizophrenia, or it can occur as a result of the ketamine anaesthetic. When suffering from an episode of catalepsy, a baby may not move for many minutes or hours.

Protección is a municipality in Honduras founded in 1880 when the first settlers arrived. It has a population of 14,272, the majority of whom are 18 or younger.

Alex Croft