Woman wrongly declared dead for over 15 years is still fighting to prove her existence
WeirdNews
Everything has been stripped from me. she says
(Web Desk) - A Missouri woman is still fighting to prove she's alive after she was wrongfully declared dead more than 15 years ago.
When she was in college, Madeline-Michelle: Carthen had been anticipating taking part in Webster University's international intern exchange program in the summer of 2007.
But she was never able to attend — or even graduate — after she was denied financial aid when her Social Security number suddenly listed her as deceased.
Carthen says the issue actually began in November 2006, but she "didn't become aware" until the school let her know four months later.
The unforeseen mishap has now stalled the rest of her life.
Carthen says CNN "got involved" after her story first gained media attention in 2007. With their help, she learned from the Social Security Administration in Washington, D.C., that her records were in a "deceased warehouse."
Unknowingly, her name was added to the Death Master File, an internal database that collects records of dead people who have Social Security numbers.
Once someone is added to the DMF, the IRS, banks and Medicare cancel their existence, per NBC affiliate KSDK-TV. Their investigation found that up to 12,000 Americans are wrongfully marked as dead by the government each year.
SSA spokesperson Darren Lutz told PEOPLE in a statement that while they "are unable to discuss individual cases due to privacy laws," they have contacted Carthen "directly to assist with her case."
The spokesperson added that nearly 3 million deaths are reported to the SSA each year and that their records are "highly accurate."
He noted that of the "millions of death reports we receive each year, less than one-third of 1 percent are subsequently corrected."
SSA Regional Communications Director John Powell did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Webster University declined to comment, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
