A Chicago woman is accused of keeping her mother’s body in a freezer for nearly two years while living in a nearby apartment.
Eva Bratcher (69) appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with hiding her 96-year-old mother’s death and having a fake identification card.
Regina Michalski’s body was found this week in a garage freezer near the apartment they had shared, police said.
Investigators believe she died in March 2021. The cause will not be determined until the body has thawed.
The allegations are “very disturbing”, judge David Kelly said while setting a $20,000 (€18,350) bond for Bratcher.
Mr Kelly turned down a defence lawyer’s request for a lower bond to get Bratcher out of jail.
Investigators said they are trying to determine if Bratcher was collecting her late mother’s benefits, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Bratcher’s daughter, who lives in Kentucky, asked police to check the home after losing contact with her grandmother.
“What could go wrong? Apparently, everything,” Sabrina Watson said.
