Ohio man told he’s legally dead by judge

Donald Miller wasn't walking like a zombie during his court appearance this week, nor groaning about brains — but the 61-year-old Ohio man is dead.

Despite his heartbeat and the functional limbs that helped him walk into the courthouse on Monday, a judge in Hancock County Probate Court told Miller he is legally a dead man and he will stay that way, after he disappeared more than 25 years ago, according to the Associated Press.

Miller told the judge he was a recovering alcoholic who had abandoned his Ohio home in 1986, leaving his wife, two children and about $25,000 in unpaid child support behind. In 1994, the state declared him legally dead and began paying his ex-wife social security benefits, according to the Associated Press. But Miller wasn't dead; he was in Florida, and then Georgia for a time, before he returned to Ohio and tried to rejoin the living.

[ Related: Ohio man declared dead, comes back to life 45 minutes later ]

Resurrection is tough work, Miller learned on Monday, when the judge denied his request to have himself legally revived, saying an Ohio statute forbids overturning death rulings after more than three years, CNN reported.

The Findlay, Ohio Courier reported Miller could fight his case again in federal court, but his lawyer told the local newspaper he couldn't afford any more legal fees.

It seems that at least for now, Donald Miller will be staying in the afterlife.