That's not true. They were adjudicating whether she would be fed and hydrated. Courts don't make those determinations for dead people.
But you want to consider her dead as of 15 years ago because it soothes your conscience. Considering that she might NOT have been dead as of 15 years ago is too jarring to contemplate, even when the idea is smothered with all of your legalisms.
My conscience is fine. I've never been bothered by my position on this case.