Son kept dead mother's body in a freezer

A man who kept the body of his elderly mother in a freezer for seven months to claim more than 24,000 yuan (US$3,359) of her annuity payments has been charged with fraud, Baoshan District People’s Procuratorate said on Monday.

Prosecutors said a community worker surnamed Zhang hadn’t seen an elderly resident surnamed Fu for months and got no response when knocking on her door or sending messages. In November, concerned about the elderly woman, Zhang visited Fu's home with the police and a locksmith opened the door.

When they entered the flat, they found Fu's son Wu was there. Wu accused them of breaking into his house and tried to get them to leave. Wu said his mother had returned to her hometown in the countryside.

However, Zhang and the police noticed an unpleasant smell and traced it to a large freezer in the living room. Wu became violent when they tried to open it. 

Wu later admitted his mother had died and he had hidden the body in the freezer so he could receive her annuity payments.

Wu told police Fu had been found dead on April 8 by the nurse who had been looking after her. Tests showed that Fu had died from multiple organ failure caused by several factors including malnutrition, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Since Wu had no income, he decided to conceal her death to continue to receive her annuity of 4,000 yuan (US$563) a month. He bought the freezer and stored the body inside.