Maryland woman forced to go through painstaking process to prove she’s alive after being declared dead

A woman from Maryland found herself in a bizarre situation after discovering she’d been mistakenly declared dead.

GettyImages-1177376870.jpgA woman had to prove that she was alive being declared dead. Credit: Greg Vote, VStock LLC / Getty

Nicole Paulino, from Gaithersburg, was simply trying to renew her driver’s license in November when she stumbled upon a shocking error in the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration’s system.

“It then appears that I am deceased,” Paulino told NBC4 Washington. “I got a little frightened, I’m not gonna lie, and surprised, because I am alive. I’m here.”

What should have been an easy fix turned into a grueling ordeal as the woman was told she couldn’t renew her license due to her “deceased status”.

To make things worse, her health insurance was also canceled, leaving her and her three children without coverage.

As medical bills piled up, Paulino struggled without vital medications, including the inhaler she needed for her asthma. The experience took a heavy toll on her. “This really, really messes up my life… It has affected me a lot,” she said.

After Paulino’s interview gained attention through News4, she finally started getting answers.

Investigators reached out to many Maryland government agencies to figure out how the mistake could have happened and discovered that it was caused by a typo.

According to the outlet, a funeral home reporting someone else’s death accidentally submitted Paulino’s Social Security number instead.

The error placed Paulino on official records as deceased – a problem more common than you might think. Per News4, around 10,000 similar cases occur in the U.S. every day, and fewer than one-third are corrected.

“This happens almost on a daily basis,” attorney Joseph McClelland explained. “The impact is the worst impact you can have on your credit report.”

Another family in Prince George’s County experienced this nightmare firsthand two years ago when 13-year-old Elise Allen was mistakenly declared dead.

“It sounds crazy, me on the phone arguing with somebody trying to explain to them that my daughter is not dead,” Melissa Allen told the publication in 2023.

GettyImages-184972297.jpgPaulino was trying to renew her driver’s license when she stumbled upon the shocking error. Credit: Asbe / Getty

Despite the stress, Paulino’s determination paid off. She believes her persistence – and going public with her story – were crucial in resolving the issue.

“I tried doing it myself and I didn’t get anything resolved,” Paulino said. “If it wasn’t for NBC News that offered to help me, I would have never gotten this problem resolved.”

The ordeal, however, has left lasting scars. “It has affected my health [and] my mental health,” she admitted.