Italian authorities have uncovered a bizarre and macabre fraud case they are calling a "Mrs. Doubtfire scandal," where an unemployed son dressed as his deceased mother for three years to steal her pension while hiding her mummified body at home.
The Grisly Discovery
The elaborate scheme began to unravel when an alert government employee noticed something was off. The individual claiming to be 82-year-old Graziella Dall'Oglio had surprisingly masculine features, including a low voice and a thick neck. This suspicion prompted the employee to notify the authorities, who launched an immediate investigation.
Upon comparing photographs, officials realized they had been deceived. The person collecting the pension was, in fact, Graziella's 56-year-old son. When police questioned the man, he consented to a search of their family home in the Borgo Virgilio area, on the outskirts of Mantua.
It was there, concealed in a laundry room, that investigators made the horrifying discovery. The body of Graziella Dall'Oglio, who had passed away three years prior, was found stuffed inside a sleeping bag. Reports indicate that the body had mummified over the long period of concealment.
A Meticulous Deception
Investigations revealed that the son never reported his mother's death. Instead, he embarked on an astonishingly detailed impersonation. He meticulously replicated his mother's appearance, down to her makeup, to convincingly pose as her in public.
His deception was so thorough that he successfully managed to renew his mother's identity card at a government office after her death. This allowed him to continue accessing her financial benefits without raising any immediate red flags.
Authorities described the transformation as a "Mrs Doubtfire-style" effort, referencing the 1993 comedy film where Robin Williams's character disguises himself as a female housekeeper.
Financial Motive and Legal Consequences
The son's criminal enterprise was financially motivated. By illegally collecting his mother's pension and managing a property portfolio of three houses, he was able to pocket approximately $61,000 (about €55,000) annually.
Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, expressed the community's shock, stating, "She probably d!ed of natural causes but that will be established by the postmortem. It is a very strange story and very, very sad." An official autopsy is still pending to confirm the exact cause of death, though foul play is not currently suspected.
The 56-year-old man is now under investigation for serious crimes, including illegally concealing a body and committing benefit fraud. It remains unclear at this stage whether he has been formally arrested.
