Two Teenagers' Bodies Swapped After Post-Mortems at Govt Stanley Hospital

The bodies of two teenage girls were mistakenly exchanged and handed over to the wrong families following post-mortem examinations at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai, causing severe distress and confusion, police said. The error came to light when one of the families brought the body home and noticed the mix-up during funeral preparations.

According to the police, the two deceased teenagers involved in the mix-up were identified as 19-year-old Anushka and 17-year-old Priyadharshini. Anushka, a resident of Arpakkam in Tiruvallur district, died while undergoing treatment at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital following a suicide attempt.

In a separate case, Priyadharshini, who lived in the Manali locality, also died by suicide. Her body was subsequently brought to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Following the post-mortem examinations, hospital authorities released the bodies to the families based on identification tokens. However, the mix-up occurred during this handover process. Priyadharshini’s family received Anushka’s body and transported it to their home for funeral preparations. Upon reaching home, the family realized that the body was not Priyadharshini’s.

Priyadharshini’s family promptly notified hospital officials about the error. Upon being alerted, hospital authorities conducted an internal check and confirmed that the two bodies had indeed been interchanged. Staff members from the hospital were subsequently sent to retrieve the bodies and return them to the correct families after performing necessary identification procedures.

The incident sparked tension at Government Stanley Medical College Hospital as grieving relatives gathered to demand a clear explanation from the hospital management regarding how the error was allowed to happen.

In the wake of the incident, the hospital administration stated that a formal inquiry has been initiated to determine how the mix-up occurred during the post-mortem and handover process. As part of the initial administrative action, the hospital dean has issued an official memo seeking an explanation from the assistant professor of forensic medicine.