Jessie Peterson last spoke to her mother, Ginger Congi, last April, when she asked to be picked up from a northern California hospital. But when Congi called the hospital days later, staff said Peterson had already checked out — against medical advice.
After searching for Peterson for almost exactly a year, Congi received a phone call: Her daughter had been dead, her body held in cold storage, all along.
That's according to a lawsuit Peterson's family filed against Mercy San Juan Medical Center, whose parent company is Dignity Health, earlier this month, alleging negligence, negligent handling of a corpse, negligent infliction of emotional distress and violation of state health and safety code.
"While a patient that doesn't survive may be just another lifeless body to Mercy San Juan hospital, Jessie was a family member, daughter, and sister, all of whom deserved the dignity and respect Mercy San Juan grossly failed to provide," the lawsuit states.
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Peterson, who her family described as "very loving and energetic," had been suffering from a Type 1 diabetic episode when she was admitted to Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Sacramento on April 6, 2023. Two days later, the 31-year-old called Congi asking to be picked up because "she was going to leave the hospital," the complaint states.
But less than two hours later, Peterson died of cardiopulmonary arrest — something the family says they didn't learn until her death certificate was completed a year later. And the next day, Mercy San Juan Hospital transferred her body to a cold storage facility.
However, when Congi called the hospital on April 11, she was told her daughter had checked out of the hospital against medical advice, and her medical records stated she was discharged on April 8, which was actually the date of her death, the lawsuit states.
This kicked off the family's search campaign for Peterson. The complaint says her sister filed a missing person's report with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, posted flyers, talked with the homeless to see if Peterson had been spotted and had her information posted to the Department of Justice's missing persons' website. Other family members checked with the county coroner or handed out photos to area first responders and law enforcement.
It wasn't until April 12, 2024 — almost exactly a year after Congi was told her daughter left the hospital — that the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office called to say they found Peterson deceased. The coroner's office directed Peterson's sister to the hospital, which did not answer her calls, the lawsuit states. Then on April 15, a morgue called Congi to say her daughter's body was found in one of the hospital's off-site storage facilities, the lawsuit states.
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The family says they found Peterson's body "so decomposed that an open casket funeral was not feasible, and Jessie's fingerprints were not even obtainable for any keepsake." They also said it was "impossible" to perform an autopsy to determine if there was medical malpractice played a role in her death because they weren't notified of it until a year later.
Though Mercy San Juan was legally obligated to issue the death certificate within 15 hours of Peterson's death, a doctor from the medical center did not issue it stating her cause of death until April 4, 2024, according to the suit.
"Defendants failure to issue a timely Certificate of Death, failure to notify Jessie's next of kin, failure to allow an autopsy, and mishandling of Jessie's remains negligent, careless, and heartless," the lawsuit states. "Defendants violated their own promise of dignity and respect for the people in their care."
The family is seeking more than $5 million in damages as well as "five times the jury's award of actual damages to punish" the hospital for its "outrageous and inexcusable negligence and complete disregard for the dignity of Jessie."
Dignity Health could not be reached for comment but told USA Today, "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this difficult time. We are unable to comment on pending litigation."
