An Oregon family has endured emotional whiplash in the past year as it was informed of a 23-year-old loved one's death and resurrection.
Tyler Chase was declared dead from a drug overdose by the Multnomah County medical examiner on Sept. 11, KPTV reported. His next of kin was contacted the next day.
Chase had not been in touch for several years with members of his family, who were unaware that before his "death" he had struggled with homelessness and substance abuse and had been living in a recovery program.
Not until December, when his food assistance benefits expired, did details emerge.
"They asked me to enter my Social Security and everything, and they were like, 'All right, we'll see if we can help you fix this,'" Chase told KPTV. "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.'"
Chase was still unable to locate family members, who had received the ashes and death certificate of someone they didn't know. This someone had been in possession of Chase's wallet that had gone missing at the recovery home and contained a temporary driver's license.
"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 told KPTV.
The Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office would not identify the man who was presumed to be Chase three months ago, but promised a change in policy.
"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," the medical examiner said.
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