taken for dead
take (one) for dead
To mistakenly assume or believe that one is dead. The bandits took the woman for dead, but she survived and swore revenge against them all. I took the creature for dead, but it leaped up and bit me on the arm when I approached it.
taken for dead
appearing to be dead; assumed to be dead. I was so ill with the flu that I was almost taken for dead. The accident victims were so seriously injured that they were taken for dead at first.