Man arrested after storing father’s body in freezer to collect his pension

In Greece, a 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of hiding his 90-year-old father’s body in a freezer in a hotel basement for two and a half years in order to continue collecting his pension. According to reports, the retired teacher died of natural causes, and no signs of violence were found. The man is reportedly facing charges of fraud, providing false information and violating firearms storage rules.

Similar cases have also been reported in other countries.

For example, in Italy in 2024, a 54-year-old man near Cagliari was found to have kept his 78-year-old mother’s body in a freezer at his home for nearly two years. According to investigators, he concealed her death and continued collecting her pension. A subsequent examination showed that the woman had died of natural causes.

In the United Kingdom, in August 2026, 60-year-old Christopher Phillips was convicted of keeping his mother Sylvia Phillips’s body in a freezer at his home for nearly three years and continuing to collect her pension and other social benefits. The woman died in March 2023, and her body was discovered by police in February 2026. Phillips admitted illegally obtaining more than £78,000, and the court sentenced him to two years and four months in prison.