The lawsuit alleges that a family in California spent a year looking for their daughter after a hospital falsely told them she had checked herself out against medical advice, only to later discover she had actually died and was decomposing in the hospital’s morgue. Jessie Peterson, 31, had admitted herself to Mercy San Juan Medical Center near Sacramento for treatment for her Type 1 diabetes in April of last year, but her family claims they were never informed of her death and she was left forgotten in a freezer at the hospital’s storage facility for months.
Despite the family’s efforts to locate Peterson by reporting her missing to the police, posting flyers, calling friends, and canvassing areas she frequented, they were not notified of her death until more than a year later. It was then that they learned she had been stored in an off-site morgue where her body had decomposed to the point where an open casket funeral was not possible and her tattoos could not be identified. The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages for the negligence and mishandling of Peterson’s body by the hospital.
According to the lawsuit, Peterson had checked herself into the hospital on April 6, 2023, due to a diabetes flare-up, but two days later, her medical records showed that she had checked herself out against medical advice. Her mother, Ginger Congi, was allegedly told that Peterson had left the hospital on her own when she arrived to pick her up. Despite her family’s efforts to find her, it wasn’t until a sheriff’s detective contacted them in April this year that they learned of Peterson’s death and the location of her body.
The lawsuit accuses the hospital of failing to issue a timely death certificate, notify Peterson’s family of her death, allow an autopsy to be performed, and mishandling her remains. Peterson’s family believes the hospital’s actions were negligent, careless, and heartless, denying them the opportunity to determine the cause of her death and seeking justice for their daughter’s mistreatment. They argue that while the hospital may have viewed Peterson as just another patient, she was a beloved family member who deserved dignity and respect in death.
The family is seeking more than $5 million in damages for the pain and suffering caused by Mercy San Juan Medical Center’s mishandling of Peterson’s death and its failure to properly notify and involve her loved ones in the process. The lawsuit claims that the hospital’s actions were grossly negligent and lacked the compassion and respect that should have been afforded to a deceased family member. While the hospital has not yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations, the family remains determined to seek justice for Jessie Peterson and hold those responsible for their negligence accountable for their actions.
