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Son kept dead mother's body in basement to keep pension, police in Austria say

Investigations so far suggest that he took in a “mid-five-digit” sum of euros, police said.
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Authorities conducted an autopsy on his mother’s body on Wednesday and found no evidence of foul play.Jan Hetfleisch / Getty Images file

A man hid his mother's body in his basement for more than a year in order to continue receiving her pension and nursing allowance, police in Austria have said.

Investigators in Tyrol province said Thursday that officers paid a visit to the man in the Innsbruck area last weekend because suspicions had arisen that his 89-year-old mother had died in June 2020.

They said in a statement that the 66-year old admitted in questioning to having kept her body in the basement after she died at home so that he could keep receiving her benefits.

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Investigations so far suggest that he took in a “mid-five-digit” sum of euros.

Authorities conducted an autopsy on his mother’s body on Wednesday and found no evidence of foul play.