A California family’s search for their daughter, Jessie Peterson, who they believed went missing after checking out from a hospital against medical advice, ended tragically when they discovered that she had been dead and decomposing in the hospital morgue the entire time. Peterson, 31, was admitted to the Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, California, in April 2023 after suffering a diabetic episode related to Type-1 diabetes. The hospital informed Peterson’s family that she had been discharged two days later against medical advice. Unable to locate her, the family reported her missing to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
After a year of searching, Peterson’s family learned that she had never checked out from the hospital. Detectives notified them that her body was found at Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where it had been stored in an off-site warehouse morgue and left to decompose for over a year. Her body was so decomposed that an open casket funeral was not feasible, and her fingerprints were not even obtainable for any keepsakes. Additionally, her body was so discolored that her tattoos could not be identified. Peterson’s death certificate, completed more than a year after her death, stated that she died from cardiopulmonary arrest at 31 years old.
With no notice of death for a year, an autopsy to determine if medical malpractice played a role in Peterson’s death was not possible. As a result, her family is now seeking more than $5 million in damages. Dignity Health, the company that operates Mercy San Juan Medical Center, has not responded to requests for comment on the matter. The negligence lawsuit, filed in the Sacramento County Superior Court by Peterson’s mother and sisters, details the family’s relentless search for her, believing she had gone missing after being discharged from the hospital against medical advice.
The tragic outcome of Peterson’s death and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her body have raised questions about the practices and procedures of Mercy San Juan Medical Center. The fact that her body was left to decompose in an off-site warehouse morgue for over a year has sparked outrage and disbelief among Peterson’s family and the community. The lawsuit highlights the devastating impact of the situation on Peterson’s loved ones, who were left to endure the unimaginable pain of not knowing her fate for an extended period of time.
The delay in notifying Peterson’s family of her death prevented them from seeking answers through an autopsy to determine the cause of her death and whether medical malpractice was involved. The inability to conduct an autopsy due to the passage of time has added to the family’s anguish and frustration. The lawsuit seeks to hold Dignity Health accountable for the alleged negligence that resulted in the mishandling of Peterson’s body and the failure to properly inform her family of her death. The legal action also aims to bring attention to the need for greater transparency and accountability in healthcare facilities to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
