Italian Man Probed for Hiding Mother's Body, Collecting Pension

A 56-year-old man from the northern Italian village of Borgo Virgilio faces investigation for benefit fraud and concealing a corpse after authorities discovered he had impersonated his deceased mother to collect her pension for nearly three years while hiding her mummified remains in their family home.

Graziella Dall'Oglio died in 2022 at the age of 82, but her son, an unemployed former nurse, did not report the death. Instead, he wrapped her body in bedsheets and a sleeping bag and stored it in the laundry room of their residence near Mantua. For about three years, he collected her monthly pension payments, which, combined with income from three family-owned properties, provided him an annual total of around 50,000 euros, according to investigators.

The scheme unraveled earlier this month when the man attempted to renew his mother's expired identity card at the local government office. Dressed in women's clothing, including a long skirt, lipstick, foundation, nail polish, a pearl necklace, old-fashioned earrings, and a dark brown bob wig styled like his mother's hair, he tried to mimic her appearance and voice. He presented himself as the elderly woman, but a staff member grew...