In a case that reads like a dark comedy, a 56-year-old Italian man has been accused of dressing up as his dead mother to fraudulently claim her pension while her mummified body remained hidden in their family home for approximately three years.
The elaborate disguise
The unemployed nurse from Mantua allegedly underwent what authorities described as a 'Mrs Doubtfire-style transformation' to impersonate his mother, Graziella Dall'Oglio, who passed away at age 82 around three years ago. According to Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper, the man took extraordinary measures to perfect his disguise.
He reportedly cut his hair to match his late mother's style and applied makeup including lipstick and foundation. To complete the transformation, he wore jewellery including a distinctive pear necklace and old-style earrings before visiting a government office in the suburb of Borgo Virgilio to renew his mother's identity card.
How the deception unravelled
The man's elaborate scheme began to collapse earlier this month when he visited government offices on the outskirts of Mantua posing as his mother. Despite his careful preparation, several physical features gave him away to alert staff members.
Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, noted that the impersonator had 'a thick neck' and 'strange wrinkles', while the skin on his hands didn't resemble that of an 85-year-old woman. His voice, though generally feminine, occasionally dipped into a masculine register, raising further suspicions.
One particularly observant employee reported their concerns to police and alerted the mayor. Authorities then compared official photographs of the real Ms Dall'Oglio with those of her son and confirmed they had been deceived.
The gruesome discovery
After the fraud was uncovered, police visited the man's home where they made a shocking discovery. Hidden in the laundry room, they found the mummified body of Graziella Dall'Oglio, which had been wrapped in bed sheets and concealed inside a sleeping bag.
The body was in what police described as 'a clear state of mummification' and has since been taken to a local hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination. Authorities believe the woman likely died of natural causes, though this will be confirmed by the official autopsy.
Investigations revealed that the son had been collecting an annual income of approximately £47,000 through his mother's pension payments and a property portfolio consisting of three houses. He had managed to claim thousands of euros before his scheme was exposed.
The man is now under investigation for multiple offences including illegally concealing a body and benefit fraud. Local officials have described the case as both 'very strange' and 'very, very sad', highlighting the extreme lengths to which the son went to maintain the deception over several years.
