Buried alive: A woman wants to dig up her grave to prove that she is alive
53-year-old Juana Escudero is alive and well, but for the past seven years she has been fiercely proving it. Due to an administrative error, she was declared dead and since then she has not been able to do such simple things as change her license or make an appointment with a doctor. The woman is so desperate that she wants to dig up her alleged grave to prove that she is not dead.
It all started seven years ago when Escudero's full namesake died in Malaga, Spain. Despite the fact that the main character of this story was alive in Alcala de Guadaira, it was she who died for the government. At first, the Escudero family laughed at this story, but soon it became no laughing matter.
Juana first found out about her "death" when she went to the doctor seven years ago. Fortunately, the doctor knew her, so he continued to treat her. It was he who informed the woman that, according to social security data, she was dead.
At first, Juana thought it was just a software bug. She visited the social service to clarify the situation. There she learned that everything is much more complicated than she had previously thought.
Juana and her family have been trying for seven years to prove that the woman is alive. In 2011, when her husband died, she needed to enter into inheritance rights, but she could not do it. In 2012, when Juana needed to renew her driver's license, she found out that the dead can't drive.
To solve the problem, Juana suggested exhuming the remains of the deceased and conducting a DNA test. She filed a petition, but has not yet received a response. Last year, when Juana visited a cemetery in Malaga, officials told her that they "have orders not to do anything about this case."
The most ironic thing about this situation is that Juana has been dead to the government for seven years, but banks continue to send her notifications on loans, mortgages and insurance.