A grief-stricken man is facing jail time after he dug up his dead mother's body and kept her on his sofa for a suspected 13 years. Police were horrified to discover the woman's "mummified" remains inside the home of Marian L in Radlin, Poland, after his estranged brother-in-law raised some concerns about his health.
The 76-year-old had propped up his mother's preserved corpse on top of a pile of newspapers dating from 2009, which were sitting on his sofa, the Mirror reports. Prosecutors confirmed that the elderly woman, known as Jadwiga L, had passed away in January 2010 and believe the man had dug her up shortly after the burial.
Małgorzata Koniarska, a spokeswoman for local police, said: "We received a report in connection with the disclosure of the body from a family member of the owner of the apartment. The policemen went to Ul. Rogozina in Radlin. In the part of the house belonging to an elderly man, a mummified corpse was discovered."
Joanna Smorczewska from the District Prosecutor's Office said: "According to the DNA content, the mummified corpse is that of a woman, Jadwiga L, who died in January 2010, and thus Marian L's mother.
"It was established that the grave of Jadwiga L, where she was buried on January 16, 2010, remains empty. It is likely that the man dug up the mother's body immediately after its burial and then mummified it and the body has remained in this house since 2010."
Marian L is believed to have exhumed the body himself before transporting her back to his home, which is only 300m from the graveyard where she had been laid to rest, before using chemicals to preserve her body. Despite having been buried over 13 years ago, officials said Jadwiga L's remains were still in 'perfect condition'.
Marcin Felsztyński, Head of the District Prosecutor's Office, said: "Everything indicates that the man must have used some chemicals to mummify the corpse. The smell of mothballs was noticeable."
It's understood that the woman will now be laid back to rest after the grim discovery in February.
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