A pensioner who was declared dead and dispatched to a funeral home to be embalmed woke up inside a body bag. Medics had pronounced Walter Williams dead and his devastated family called undertakers to take his body away in preparation for his funeral. But in an astonishing case of medical miracle and mystery, the 78-year-old farmer woke up shortly before he was due to be embalmed.

Mr Williams’ incredible story went global, far beyond the confines of Porter and Sons Funeral Home in Mississippi, USA. On February 27, 2014, the grandfather of 15 had been admitted to a hospice suffering from congestive heart failure. Medical staff pronounced him dead after the coroner and nurses checked his pulse around 9pm and were unable to find a heartbeat. He was subsequently transported to Porter and Sons Funeral Home in a body bag.

But just as embalmers were preparing to begin the preservation process – the procedure used to delay decomposition for public viewing at funerals or wakes – the pensioner started moving. Emergency services rushed Walter to the hospital, where doctors suggested a combination of medications or a faulty pacemaker may have caused his vital signs to vanish.

Holmes County Coroner Dexter Howard told CNN at the time: “We got him into the embalming room, and we noticed his legs beginning to move, like kicking. He also began to do a little breathing.” “Every case I do is a learning experience,” Dexter added. When questioned what learning he gained from the Walter Williams case, he replied: “That miracles can happen.”

His nephew Eddie Hester said: “I stood there and watched them put him in a body bag and zip it up. That was at 10:30pm, and at 2:30am, my cousin called me and said ‘Not yet’ and I said ‘what do you mean not yet’. “He [my cousin] said, ‘Daddy still here’,” reports the Mirror.

Dexter told the BBC Walter’s family were “just in a state of shock” after they learned of his recovery and were rejoicing. The coroner shared he had never seen anything like the Walter Williams case in his entire experience of working as a coroner for over two decades. “It’s an unusual case. I hope he keeps on keeping on,” said Dexter.

Walter’s daughter Martha Lewis said: “Seemed like he had more life in him again. And then we had just stopped talking, he told us ‘what did you all stop talking for’ Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. It was not my daddy’s time. I don’t know how much longer he’s going to grace us and bless us with his presence, but hallelujah, we thank him right now.”

Tragically, barely 15 days after his story captured worldwide attention, Walter, whose nickname was Snowball, died at his residence in Lexington, Mississippi at 4.15am on the morning of 14 March, 2014. The pensioner died of natural causes. Speaking to CNN, Eddie said: “I think he’s gone this time.”

Calling it a “two-week miracle”, his nephew said: “It was a two week miracle for me and I enjoyed every minute of it and my family did too.”