Tennessee officials failed to execute Christa Pike, the state's only woman on death row, on Wednesday after she survived the lethal injection process. Pike was transported to an off-site medical facility, though her condition was not disclosed.

Witnesses in the death chamber reported Pike remained conscious after administrators injected lethal drugs. She snored, complained of pain, and asked, "Does this happen like that?" She also said, "My arm feels like it's about to burst open." She kicked her feet repeatedly, dislodging the sheets covering her.

Journalists witnessed the process only intermittently. Death chamber curtains closed twice during the procedure, leaving observers to rely on sounds from inside, said John North, an investigative producer at WBIR television.

Pike's attorneys filed a federal court document asserting that executioners had injected "both syringes of lethal injection chemicals" without Pike losing consciousness or her heartbeat stopping.

Governor Bill Lee, a Republican, ordered "a comprehensive, third-party review to determine exactly what occurred" and announced the cancellation of Tennessee's last remaining execution scheduled for 2026.

Tori Gessner, a reporter for WKRN in Nashville who has witnessed five state executions, said the events were highly unusual. "Nothing about today was normal, typical, at all," Gessner said.

Pike, 50, was convicted in 1995 of murdering a classmate when she was 18. She received a death sentence.

The Department of Correction said the state "followed every step of the State's lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General's Office" and that "the lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective."

An ambulance arrived at the prison and later departed. Federal court records indicated medical aid was administered to Pike.

This is the second Tennessee execution to fail this year. In May, Tony Carruthers, convicted in three 1994 killings, received a one-year reprieve after executioners could not locate a suitable vein for lethal injection.