A Dutch man in the town of Landgraaf kept his deceased father in a freezer for more than a year so he could “still talk to him,” according to local media.
The man, whose name has not been public, told Dutch media site 1 Limburg his father died 18 months ago at the age of 101.
“I didn’t want to lose [my father]. Otherwise I would miss him,” the man, 82, told the outlet.
Landgraaf police say they are investigating the situation but don’t suspect foul play in the older man’s death.
“We are currently investigating the death of this person and why the remains were placed in a freezer,” Landgraaf police said in a statemen, the Evening Standard reports.
“In the interest of the investigation, we are not making any statements about the relationship between the residents of the building at this time.”
Police found out about the situation when the dead man’s former doctor alerted police, De Limburger reports.
Landgraaf police reportedly found the 82-year-old man’s home in disarray, and are giving him a week to clean up before authorities assess whether he is fit to live on his own.
A neighbour told Dutch outlet AD that the man was sick with a tumour and went to the hospital regularly.
In 2015, Dutch police learned that a man kept his dead mother’s body hidden for over two years and continued collecting her pension and social assistance payments. He was later caught and forced to repay 40,000 euros, according to 1 Limburg.
