An Italian man is under investigation for fraud and concealing a dead body after allegedly dressing up as his late mother to collect her pension.
The man, from Borgo Virgilio near the city of Mantua, is alleged to have received thousands of euros after his mother's death in 2022. Instead of reporting the death, he allegedly hid her body at home.
It was only earlier this month, when the 56-year-old allegedly disguised himself as his mother to renew his ID card at the local council office, that staff became suspicious and notified the police.
Authorities compared an official photo of the deceased woman with that of her son. Police then searched the man's home and found the body of the laundress's mother, investigators said. It is suspected that the body had been mummified.
Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told Corriere della Sera that the 56-year-old had entered the council office dressed as "an elderly woman." He had put on lipstick, manicure, jewelry, earrings and a wig. He tried to speak in a feminine voice, "but from time to time some masculine sounds came out," the mayor said.
After a check-up, the council staff member noticed that the man's neck "was a little too thick and even the wrinkles were strange," he added. "The skin on his hands didn't look like that of an 85-year-old woman."
Corriere reported that the man was an unemployed nurse who, thanks to his mother's pension and three properties, had an annual income of €53,000.
