Not dead yet: Chesapeake resident considered dead finds out how system made her that way
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Like Jim Brewer and Jaime Duzz, Marlaena Horn of Chesapeake has been declared dead, but is very much alive.
This is the third case in a month of a person who was declared dead, but is actually alive.
Back in January, 10 On Your Side reported that Duzz, a Virginia Beach resident, had been reported dead, with her debit card shut down, and facing troubles getting a job.
Not dead yet: VB woman thought dead has to prove living status
Brewer, meanwhile, was considered dead to the Virginia Retirement System, American Express and Medicare.
Not dead yet: Another person thought to be dead is indeed alive
Following that report, 10 On Your Side got an email from Horn, claiming she has been reported dead.
What makes this case unique is that it deals with the IRS.
Horn's husband died, but she said she was also seen as dead, even after meeting with the IRS.
'I got another letter saying I am dead,' Horn told 10 On Your Side in her home during an interview to gather facts for this story.
For Horn, it all began after the death of her husband in December 2022.
'This is the last lingering thing, except not living with my husband, that I have had to deal with,' Horn said.
On June 3, 2024, she got an IRS form that read, 'We are unable to process your tax return.'
She was troubled and claims she couldn't file taxes with the IRS because they think she's dead.
She went to the federal building in Norfolk Oct. 4 and met with the IRS. They see she's alive, takes her tax return and dated it received.
They also gave her this dated note, 'I am requesting that social security number be unlocked. Social Security Administration accidentally reported me as deceased. However, I am not.'
Then Jan. 6 she got this in the mail: 'Your 2023 return could not be processed.'
'I'm dead,' she told 10 On Your Side. 'This is February of 2025, and this is still not resolved. This is absurd.'
With Horn, 10 On Your Side called the IRS number on the notice she received, and went through to a case worker.
Was she surprised to get on the phone so quickly with the IRS?
'I was surprised,' she said. 'It went through so fast.'
The case worker told Horn that it had happened, but not all the time.
'There is coding in the system that says you are deceased,' the IRS worker told her. 'It is kind of weird. … Without us having any date of death in there for you, there is nothing to indicate that you died. … In our system, that is still the part that is still causing an issue on our side.'
He kept working trying to figure it out, and the IRS caseworker represented the IRS with professionalism and was quick in figuring out how it happened and solving the issue.
'It appears they reversed the indicator that you were deceased,' he told her. 'Why did you get that other notice? For some reason, there were two on there. They have now reversed it for you. … There were two entries in the system, and because there was one still showing that you were deceased, it generated this (these notices).'
He deleted it and fixed it.
'How would I assess this success we have had today,' she said. 'If it went through and it is corrected, it has been 100% effective.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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