A Northern California hospital is facing a lawsuit after the family of Jessie Marie Peterson, a 31-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes, discovered that she had died and her body was kept in cold storage for nearly a year. Peterson was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center on April 6, 2023.. told The Guardian.
Days later, her mother was mistakenly informed that Peterson had been discharged. The family filed a missing person’s report and searched for her until April 2024, when authorities revealed Peterson had died on April 8, 2023. Her body was so decomposed that an open-casket funeral was impossible, and the family is now suing the hospital for $25 million, alleging negligence.
Attorney Marc Greenberg stated, “Mercy San Juan Hospital failed in its most fundamental duty to notify Jessie’s family of her death,” criticizing the hospital for lacking dignity and respect in handling the situation. A representative for Dignity Health, which operates the hospital, has not commented on the lawsuit.