CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO — Imagine you went for a walk one day, had a few drinks along the way, and came home months later to realize everyone thought you were dead. That’s what happened to 74-year-old Miguel Angel Gomar de Luna, who now has to prove to the Mexican government that he’s still alive.

The elderly man was living at a nursing home last year when one day, he snuck away and did not return. On Christmas Day 2015, his family was alerted that he’d gone missing. They searched for him for weeks, but there was no trace of him anywhere.

After some time had passed, police recovered a badly decomposed body of a man that fit Miguel’s description. The body was difficult to identify, but Miguel’s daughter was told if they could not confirm it was him, the body would not be released to the family. She signed papers to claim that the body was indeed that of her dad’s, and held a funeral days later, the body cremated.

On February 24, police contacted Miguel’s daughter to say they’d found him on the street, alive. When he was brought home, he was noticeably in rough shape, with bandages around his head and scars on his face. When asked what happened, he said he’d just gone for a walk. He’d also reportedly been drinking the entire time.

His family grateful for his return, they’re now tasked with reclaiming his identity, as he’s been legally declared dead.