Tennessee has named a former federal prosecutor to find out what went wrong when the state tried to execute Christa Pike. Ed Stanton, a former U.S. attorney for western Tennessee, will lead an independent review, KPTV and the New York Post reported.

Pike survived two doses of pentobarbital, the single drug Tennessee uses in lethal injections, during the Sept. 30 attempt. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition. As of Sunday she had not regained consciousness and remained on a ventilator, her lawyer told NBC News. Gov. Bill Lee ordered the review and called off the state's remaining execution for 2026, which postpones Gary Wayne Sutton's Dec. 3 date, WSMV reported.

Pike was the only woman on Tennessee's death row. She was convicted of the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer, a fellow student in a Job Corps program in Knoxville. Pike was 18 at the time. Her lawyers had argued that her youth and a history of abuse should spare her life, but courts denied her appeals.

Failed executions are rare but not unheard of. Other states, including Alabama and Oklahoma, have halted executions after problems with drugs or with placing IV lines. Tennessee itself paused executions in 2022 after it emerged that drugs had not been properly tested, and an earlier independent review, also led by a former federal prosecutor, found broad failures in that testing.

Supporters of the death penalty say the review should fix the process so lawful sentences can be carried out. Opponents say Pike's case shows the system cannot be made safe and humane.

Lee said he was "highly disappointed" that the execution did not happen as expected. Stanton's review is expected to look at the state's execution protocol and what went wrong. State officials have not said when it will be finished or whether the findings will be made public in full.

What we know: Pike survived two doses, Stanton will lead the review, and executions are paused.
What we don't: What caused the failure, and what happens next in Pike's case.