they coped with the outcome of such a horrific accident. but then out of the blue came another life-changing visit from police. shocking news that would prove joyous for one family and cruel for another. the whole ordeal was a case of mistaken identity. abby guerra had survived the crash. it was marlena cantu who had died. abby is in critical condition and has endured multiple brain surgeries. the cantus are now left to mourn the loss of marlena. it s comforting to know that she s not suffering. she didn t suffer. it was a mistake. it was a mistake they shouldn t have made. evidently the person that, you know, that shouldn t have gotten confused, got confused. reporter: how could a tragic mistake have happened in the first place? at the time, we were acting on the best information.
end of september to accept the deal. for a week, he prayed over a woman he believed was his daughter but it really wasn t. his daughter was dead and now frank cantu is speaking out about the horrific medical mix-up. a spokesperson for st. joseph s hospital in phoenix says they used information from the families to identify the patient as frank s daughter, marlena. her friend abbey guerra was the one alive. despite having that information, doctors somehow still got the identification process wrong. but as shocking as the news was, frank said it did provide a sense of closure. he says it was comforting to know his daughter did not suffer. and in the 8:00 hour, we ll talk to members of both families of this incredible story. major drama brewing as we enter the final days now of rob blagojevich s corruption trial in illinois. closing arguments are said to wrap up this morning. his attorney might not be the
not died was, while surprising, something that made me feel like this is great. there is a chance. this isn t the first time this type of heartbreaking mix up has made headlines in 2006, two friends were in an accident and their identities were mixed up. for weeks the vanrinds were sitting there but actually their daughter had not made it. i know when we get together with them, we have their daughter and they don t have theirs. right now marlena s family has to learn how to live without her. all they want is an answer. you can t explain. there is so much grief. marlena s family wants steps
family. marlena s loved ones are in a lot of pain. to try to prevent this from ever happening again. i really miss my daughter. you know, she s still with me, just a matter of it s going be hard. reporter: frank and his partner are devastated and holding on to each other for support. for more than a week, cantu thought his daughter survived a car crash only to find out she actually died. i was led to believe that was marlena. reporter: cantu had taken a trip to disneyland with four other friends from high school, including her best friend abby. cantu survived and abby was
marlena was first listed as having survived but badly injured with a swollen face. but dental records proved that abby survived and marlena actually died. chris, marlena s loved ones are in a lot of pain but they wanted to share their story to make sure this never happens again. i miss my daughter, you know. for more than a week, the man thought his daughter survived a car crash only the find out she actually died. i was led to believe that