State suspends licenses of 2 Mich. FF-medics who treated woman wrongly declared dead

The state has also served letters of intent to suspend the licenses of the two firefighter-EMTs who were at the scene

August 30, 2020 09:42 AM

AP20239612886090 (1).jpg — Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee held a press conference Wednesday to address the case of a woman who was declared dead and later found alive at a funeral home. Two firefighter-medics who treated the woman have had their licenses suspended by the State of Michigan.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — The state has suspended the licenses of two paramedics who treated a Southfield woman who was mistakenly declared dead, city officials said.

Officials made the announcement Friday in a post on the Southfield Fire Department’s Facebook page.

“The City of Southfield has received notification that the State of Michigan has suspended the licenses of the two paramedics on the scene at the Timesha Beauchamp medical run while the state investigation continues,” the post said. “The state of Michigan has also served letters of intent to suspend the licenses of the two EMT’s who were also on the scene.

“All four Southfield firefighters remain on paid administrative leave from the city pending the outcome of this ongoing investigation. More information will be provided as it is made available.”

On Wednesday, Southfield Fire Chief Johnny Menifee pledged to find answers in the case.

The Southfield Fire Department responded to a 911 call about 7:35 a.m. Sunday for an unresponsive woman later identified as Timesha Beauchamp, authorities said.

Paramedics tried to revive the woman for about half an hour, they said.

After consulting with a Providence Hospital emergency room doctor who declared the woman dead, the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office signed off on releasing the woman’s body to the family. Funeral home workers preparing to embalm Beauchamp realized the woman was not dead.

Beauchamp’s family has hired attorney Geoffrey Fieger to investigate possible negligence by authorities at the scene.

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