A real-life "Mrs. Doubtfire" kept his mother's body hidden at home for three years while disguising himself as her to collect her pension.
The 56-year-old, whose identity hasn’t been revealed, lived in the northern Italian town of Borgo Virgilio near Mantua and reportedly transformed himself into his deceased mom, Graziella Dall’Oglio, to cash in on her pension.
She died at the age of 82, but her death was never officially reported.
Instead, the man wrapped her corpse in bedsheets, stuffed it inside a sleeping bag, and concealed it in the laundry room of their home, according to local newspaper Corriere della Sera.
By the time police found her, the body had fully mummified.
Graziella Dall’Oglio's 56-year-old son pretended to be her in order to collect her pension after she died. Credit: Facebook
Over the following years, the unnamed man pulled off what has been dubbed a “Mrs. Doubtfire-style transformation,” referencing the 1993 comedy in which Robin Williams dresses up as a woman to see his kids.
This real-life impersonator reportedly cut his hair to mimic his mother’s, applied foundation, lipstick, and even wore a pearl necklace and clip-on earrings.
Deep Voice and Thick Neck Gave Him Away
Authorities said the man managed to keep the scam going by even renewing his mother’s ID at a government office in the outskirts of Mantua.
But his disguise finally fell apart when a suspicious employee noticed something off: a low voice, masculine facial features, and a notably thick neck.
“He came into the council offices wearing a long skirt, he was wearing lipstick and nail varnish, a necklace and old-style earrings,” Borgo Virgilio mayor Francesco Aporti told the newspaper, per Telegraph.
“But up close his neck was too thick and his wrinkles were strange, the skin on his hands did not seem to be that of an 85-year-old woman," Aporti added.
The staffer alerted local authorities, who compared photos of the real Graziella with the man posing as her, and that's when the jig was up.
When police arrived at his home, he allowed them to search the property, and they discovered the grim remains of Dall’Oglio in a clear state of mummification.
“She probably died of natural causes but that will be established by the postmortem. It is a very strange story and very, very sad,” Mayor Aporti added.
Graziella Dall’Oglio’s mummified corpse was found in her family’s home in Italy. Credit: Facebook
Pension Scam Worth Over $60,000 A Year
Thanks to his mother’s pension and a property portfolio that included three houses, the man reportedly raked in about €53,000, or around $61,000, every year.
The Italian military police, Carabinieri, confirmed that the body has since been taken to a local hospital for a full postmortem, though officials say there’s currently no suspicion of foul play.
The man is now under investigation for illegally concealing a corpse and benefit fraud. It remains unclear if he has been arrested.