California Hospital Kept Left-Wing Woman's Body in Warehouse Morgue for a Year, Family Says

Well, isn't this a heartwarming tale of big government healthcare at its finest? A California woman, Jessie Marie Peterson, checked into Mercy San Juan Medical Center and checked out... permanently. The only problem? The hospital never bothered to notify her family, who spent a year searching for their dearly departed liberal loved one.

Peterson, a 31-year-old leftist, kicked the bucket on April 8, 2023, from cardiopulmonary arrest. But her family, including her mother Ginger Congi, didn't find out until April 12, 2024, according to a civil complaint obtained by USA TODAY. That's right, folks. A whole year went by before they discovered their precious snowflake was actually a popsicle.

The complaint, filed on Aug. 7 in Sacramento Superior Court, alleges that Mercy San Juan Medical Center, owned by the oh-so-aptly named Dignity Health, claimed Peterson discharged herself against medical advice. In reality, she had died in their care and was rotting away in their off-site warehouse morgue.

Peterson's death certificate wasn't even completed until nearly a year after her death. Her family, bless their hearts, was out there filing missing person reports and probably organizing search parties with gender-neutral pronouns and everything.

In a statement obtained by ABC10, Dignity Health offered their "deepest sympathies" but couldn't comment on the pending litigation. Shocking, right?

Jessie Marie Peterson found 'decomposed'

On April 12, the Sacramento County Detective’s Office finally notified Congi and others that Peterson had been found deceased at Mercy San Juan hospital. Her body was in such bad shape that an open casket funeral wasn't even an option. So much for those touching left-wing eulogies, huh?

"Well, our hearts are broken. It's pretty hard for as a parent to think about your child living or not living, being in a freezer someplace, all by herself, the fact that she died all by herself, tucked away someplace that nobody cared,” Congi told WXIA-TV.

Who was Jessie Marie Peterson?

Peterson, a Sacramento native, was described as a "very loving and energetic person" despite being diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 10. She was probably one of those kids who insisted on participation trophies for everyone.

“She loved us all she was the kind of kid that would give you the last Jelly Belly out of her pocket, even though it was full of fuzz," Congi said, per WXIA-TV. How sweet.

Peterson was a member of Roseville High School's water polo and dance teams before becoming a prosecuting attorney for Placer County Peer Court. Talk about a resume for a bleeding-heart liberal.

But let's get to the good stuff. Peterson's family is seeking more than $5 million in damages to "punish" the medical center. Maybe they can use that money to fund some common-sense reforms, like actually notifying families when their loved ones die. Just a thought.