Man Shocked to Learn His Family Was Told He Died and Received Ashes: ‘Makes No Sense,’ Says Cousin
Tyler Chase was initially declared dead by an Oregon medical examiner's office but was actually alive, according to reports
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Stock photoAn Oregon man was surprised upon learning that a medical examiner's office had incorrectly declared him dead in September of last year, multiple news outlets reported.
Tyler Chase, 23, of Portland, told Fox affiliate KPTV that he was living in a recovery program for the last several months after dealing with substance abuse issues. At the time, he was not in contact with his family. He only learned of the mistake when he ran into difficulty accessing his food assistance benefits that he received approval for in October.
“I go to DHS [Department of Human Services] and they asked me to enter my social security and everything, and they were like ‘Alright we’ll see if we can help you fix this,’” Chase told the news station. “And then all of the sudden they start interrogating me and were like ‘Oh can we see your ID?’ So I gave it to them and then they just looked as confused as I was and they’re like ‘Right here it says you are dead.’”
It turned out, as NBC affiliate KGW reported, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office mistakenly identified the body of a deceased person as Chase’s and later contacted Chase's family about their loved one's death.
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Family members were told Chase died of a drug overdose on Sept. 11 and they were given ashes and a death certificate, per McClatchy News. The ashes of the body, which was cremated on Oct, 11, were given to Chase's family and a death certificate was issued, KGW reported.
However, the medical examiner's office realized it made an error over the identification on Dec. 18 and then contacted Chase's family the next day, according to McClatchy News, citing officials.
The medical examiner’s office said that the mistake happened because the deceased person had Chase’s wallet, which included a temporary Oregon's driver license, per KGW. The outlet also reported that Chase’s family declined to view the body before it was cremated.
“So they find a paper ID of me that’s smudged and everything and they were like ‘That’s Tyler John Chase,’ so they put him down as me,” Chase recalled, per KPTV. “And then they notified the family like protocol."
In an interview with KGW, Latasha Rosales, a cousin of Chase, said after the error: "I just lost it. It is so hard to believe how something like this could even happen. It just makes no sense to me."
PEOPLE reached out to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office and Latasha Rosales for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
The medical examiner’s office said, per KGW, that the mistake happened because the deceased person had Chase’s wallet containing the temporary Oregon driver’s license, adding that Chase’s family declined to view the body before it was cremated.
“We deeply regret that the misidentification happened,” a county spokesperson said in a statement to KPTV acknowledging the error.
The spokesperson also said that changes will be made at the medical examiner's office following this particular case: “Going forward, all individuals who are found with a temporary state-issued identification must also have fingerprints submitted for positive identification, to ensure that this will never happen again.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
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