Man Alive at Own Funeral: Family in Shocked Relief, Case of Mistaken Identity, Not Zombie Apocalypse [VIDEO]

Family and friends in Sao Paulo, Brazil found themselves in shocked relief when Gilberto Araujo, a man thought to be murdered, walked (alive) into his own funeral on Monday. Police delivered what was thought to be Araujo's deceased body to his brother, Jose Marcos Araujo, on Sunday. But this bizarre occurrence does not warrant hysteria over an upcoming zombie apocalypse - it was merely a disturbing case of mistaken identity. Genivaldo Santos Gama, a fellow car washer who looks eerily similar to Araujo, was the actual murder victim, and it was his funeral Araujo confusedly stumbled in upon this week.

According to reports, Araujo's "body" was discovered by police on Sunday (Oct. 21). When Jose Marcos Araujo arrived at the morgue, he positively identified the corpse as his brother and brought it home so his family could properly mourn. The Araujos scheduled a wake for Monday, Oct. 22 - in the meantime, Gilberto Araujo was casually walking the streets of Alagoinhas. Just a few hours before he was supposedly to be buried, a passerby on the street informed Araujos that family and friends had gathered at his mother's house for his own memorial service. When Araujos raced home to see what all the fuss was about, one could just picture the mourners' shocked and relieved reactions. Some panicked, others fled in fear, and some even fainted from utter disbelief. But soon all the confusion was cleared up.

Araujo was thought to have died in a violent shooting at his workplace. According to Jose Marco's wife Ana Paula, "The confusion started when news started circulating that a car washer had been shot dead. Police called my husband and told him that his brother had been killed and his body was at the morgue." Maybe Jose Marco was discombobulated upon hearing about his brother's unfortunate passing, but he mistakenly misidentified the body. It truly belonged to Araujo's coworker, Genivaldo Santos Gama.

According to police inspector Roberto Lima, the mix-up was understandable - "The two men closely resembled each other and both worked as car washers." No other information has been released about Gama.

At the time, the Araujo's had not seen or heard from Gilberto in the past four months.

Marina Santana told reporters: "I am overjoyed," Gilberto's mother Marina Santana told reports after realizing her son was indeed still alive and well. "What mother wouldn't be after being told that her son is dead and then sees him alive."

The news interview video isn't in English, but it features the Araujo clan and their reactions to the shocking case of mistaken identity: