A man named Tyler Chase was thought to be dead. His family received his ashes, but he was later found alive.
Authorities confirmed the man was dead and sent his ashes to his family
Recently, a 23-year-old man named Tyler Chase from Oregon was declared dead, only to reappear months later, leaving his family and officials in shock.
The story begins on September 11, 2023, when Tyler was reported dead due to a drug overdose.
He had been living in a recovery program after struggling with substance abuse for many years.
Tyler had not been in touch with his family for a long time and had been living on the streets.
When his family received a death certificate along with an urn containing ashes, they believed they were mourning the loss of their loved one.
However, Tyler was very much alive and unaware of what had happened.
The man discovered there was a mistake after visiting the officials
The situation took a strange turn when Tyler noticed that his food assistance benefits were no longer working.
Feeling puzzled, he visited the Department of Human Services to understand the situation.
When he got there, the officials were equally surprised to inform him that their records indicated he was deceased.
Tyler recalled, “They were like, ‘Can we see your ID?’ So, I gave it to them. Then they just looked as confused as I was.”
The mix-up happened because, back in September, a man was found dead with Tyler’s wallet and temporary driver’s license.
The medical examiner’s office mistakenly identified the deceased man as Tyler because of the ID.
Unfortunately, the ID was smudged and did not have a clear photo, leading to the incorrect conclusion.
Incredibly, the man who died had stolen Tyler’s wallet from the addiction recovery center where they both had been staying.
Tyler explained, “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.”
This mistake led to the notification of his family and the subsequent cremation of the body on October 1.
When Tyler’s family learned that he was alive, their reaction was one of disbelief and relief.
A cousin of Tyler expressed how hard it was to process such news, stating, “It is so hard to believe how something like this could even happen. It just makes no sense to me.”
The strange case prompted a response from local officials.
A spokesperson for Multnomah County issued an apology, saying, “We deeply regret that the misidentification happened.”
To prevent such incidents in the future, the county has announced changes in its protocols.
From now on, all individuals found with temporary state-issued identification must also have their fingerprints submitted for positive identification.
“We deeply regret that the misidentification happened.”
“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.”