Daughter 'kept body of dead mum in FREEZER for 10 years so she could claim her pension'
A FRENCH woman kept her dead mother hidden in a freezer for 10 years so she could continue to claim her pension, prosecutors revealed.
A French woman kept her dead mother hidden in a freezer for 10 years
The 90-year-old corpse was found after detectives started investigating the alleged social security fraudster, who is 55 and cannot be named for legal reasons.
She was living in a detached house in the picturesque village of Horsarrieu, close to Pau, in South West France, with her mother’s remains at the end of the garden.
A prosecuting source in nearby Mont-de-Marsan, capital of the Landes department, said: “They were hidden in a freezer, and there had been no report of the mother’s death.
“The freezer was not connected to the electricity supply going into the house. It was just a hiding place."
There had been no report of the mother’s death
The suspect was first interviewed by gendarmes on Tuesday, and claimed her mother had died seven years ago.
Investigators noticed, however, there had been no medical fees claimed by the mother since 2007, suggesting the time of death was more likely to be a decade ago.
All the mother’s benefits arrangements, including drawing an old age pension, continued as normal throughout that time, prosecutors said.
The corpse was found after detectives started investigating the alleged social security fraudster
At the time of death, the pair were living some 200 miles away, close to Toulouse.
Prosecutors say this means that the woman would have transported the corpse in secret when they moved to Horsarrieu in July 2016.
Police say they have evidence the suspect had put her own picture on her mother’s driving licence – an offence that led to a search of the property.
The corpse was found wrapped in a tarpaulin, with old clothes used to hide it.
An autopsy was due to be held today to try to establish the cause of death.