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The late Graziella Dall’Oglio (left) was portrayed by her son (right) – Facebook
An unemployed Italian man has been accused of using lipstick and a pearl necklace to disguise himself as his dead mother to fraudulently claim her pension in a bizarre case dubbed the “Mrs Doubtfire” scandal.
According to a report in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the 56-year-old man, an unemployed nurse from the northern city of Mantua, managed to pocket thousands of euros before his ruse was exposed.
What makes the case all the more macabre is the fact that he allegedly hid his mother’s body at home and kept it for so long that it was eventually mummified.
According to the newspaper, Graziella Dall’Oglio died about three years ago at the age of 82.
Not only did her son not officially report her death, he also wrapped her body in a bed sheet, stuffed it in a sleeping bag and hid it in his house.
He then posed as her when it came to renewing her ID card at a government office in the suburb of Borgo Virgilio, on the outskirts of Mantua, the report said.
Deep voice and thick neck, a clear sign
He reportedly cut his hair in a similar style to his mother, applied foundation and lipstick, and completed the ensemble with a pearl necklace and old-fashioned clip-on earrings.
He underwent a “Mrs. Doubtfire-style transformation,” the newspaper says, alluding to the hit 1993 film starring Robin Williams.
Arrived at the government office earlier this month, he introduced himself as his mother. But his deception eventually aroused the suspicions of a co-worker who thought something was amiss – not least his deep voice and thick neck. The employee alerted the police and the local mayor.
Authorities compared official photos of the real Ms. Dall’Oglio with those of her impostor son and determined they had been deceived.
Thanks to his mother’s pension and a real estate portfolio of three houses, the son had an annual income of 53,000 euros, according to the newspaper.
Gruesome discovery of a hidden body
After his exposure, police went to his home and made a gruesome discovery – his mother’s mummified body, hidden in a laundry room.
“He came to the municipal offices in a long skirt, he wore lipstick and nail polish, a necklace and old-fashioned earrings,” said Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told the newspaper.
“But up close, his neck was too thick and his wrinkles were strange; the skin on his hands did not appear to be that of an 85-year-old woman. His voice was female, but every now and then it would become quieter and sound male. But I might not have noticed these strange features if they had not been pointed out to me.”
After his masquerade was discovered, the police informed him that they needed to inspect his house. “He agreed to it. They searched the house and found a mummified body,” the mayor said. “She probably died of natural causes, but the autopsy will clarify that. It’s a very strange story and very, very sad.”
In a statement from the Carabinieri [military police] said the mother’s body was wrapped in sheets and a sleeping bag. “The body was in a clearly mummified state.” they said.
The body was taken to a local hospital mortuary for an autopsy.
The man is being investigated for illegally concealing a body and welfare fraud.
