Illinois woman allegedly hid mother’s body in freezer for 2 years, took benefits

A Chicago case involving an elderly woman’s death has taken a new turn in federal court, with prosecutors alleging that her daughter concealed her mother’s body in a garage freezer for nearly two years while continuing to collect government benefits in her name. According to the Chicago Tribune, Eva Bratcher, 72, has been indicted in U.S. District Court on two fraud counts tied to more than $20,000 in Social Security and food assistance benefits that prosecutors say were obtained after her mother’s death in 2021. The indictment was initially filed under seal in August and was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a nationwide enforcement effort targeting Social Security fraud.Body allegedly kept in freezerThe report states that according to federal prosecutors, Bratcher’s 96-year-old mother, Regina Michalski, died on March 4, 2021, at the Chicago home the two women shared.