Losing a loved one is painful enough, but having to deal with the finances of a proper sendoff can be tough on some folks too.
The struggle was apparently too difficult for one man in Taiwan that he resorted to an unusual measure — storing his elderly mother’s body in a fridge.
Police found the woman’s body in a refrigerator at a home in Bali District, New Taipei, Taiwan. Her son, who allegedly lacked the funds to give her a funeral, had been keeping her body there for five years.
No foul play is suspected.
According to Focus Taiwan, the authorities only made the discovery when the deceased’s granddaughter told her teacher about it.
After teachers and social workers reported the matter to Luzhou police, officers visited the house at around 5pm. They discovered the body in the lower freezer drawer of the refrigerator, which was on the balcony of the home.
Source: Sohu
8world News reported that the body was bent and twisted to fit into the drawer. Meanwhile, the upper compartment of the fridge was empty.
Police did not find any signs of trauma or any indication that the woman was a victim of a murder.
The authorities have since sent the body to a funeral home for preservation while prosecutors figure out the cause of death.
Initial investigations reportedly found that the deceased’s 66-year-old son had quit his job due to her ailing health. He also brought his daughter to Taiwan from mainland China to take care of his mother.
In order to juggle his responsibilities, he could only work occasionally and ended up finishing his savings. He is currently unemployed.
Following a hospitalisation, the elderly woman passed away in Oct 2017 at the age of 82, noted Focus Taiwan.
Allegedly unable to afford a funeral, the woman’s son resorted to refrigerating her – a decision his daughter – her granddaughter, was apparently aware of.
For years after that, the family stored food in a separate, smaller fridge.
The arrangement only came to light when social workers began looking into a possible case of abuse involving the granddaughter, who claimed that her father had been mistreating her.
According to Focus Taiwan, the 14-year-old expressed fear in living with her father ever since her grandmother died. She then let slip that “grandma put herself in a refrigerator”, which led authorities to the gruesome discovery.
The teen is reportedly staying in a shelter for the time being.
The case further unravelled with the involvement of the New Taipei City Social Welfare Department, who disputed claims that the son could not afford a funeral.
Because he failed to end his mother’s household registration, the son allegedly continued to receive monthly subsidies of about S$357 (NT$7,759) given to low-income elderly since the elderly woman’s passing.
On top of other financial aid for low-income families, the Welfare Department believed they received around S$29,065 (NT$630,000) worth of subsidies over the years. Taking that amount into consideration, they should have been able to pay for a burial, stated Focus Taiwan.
Citing the Social Order Maintenance Act, 8world News wrote that someone who stores a body without a casket or places them at home without a valid reason may face up to S$276 (NT$6,000) in fines.
While there’s a possibility that the man does not meet the conditions for the punishment, prosecutors are still looking into the matter and will decide soon.
In the meantime, they advise everyone to avoid speculating about the incident as details remain inconclusive.
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Featured image adapted from Sina News and @nicotitto on Unsplash, for illustration purposes only.
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