Niece Not Nice: Police
VIENNA (Reuters) – An Austrian woman lived with the mummified remains of her
aunt for a year after she died at age 96, Vienna police said on Wednesday.
Officers found the corpse under a blanket on a bed after ignoring the
51-year-old niece’s claim that her aunt was sleeping and should not be
disturbed, a police statement said.
A preliminary inquiry had determined that the niece, who was taken to a
psychiatric hospital for examination, may have covered up the death for
financial reasons, it added.
Austrian news agency APA quoted police investigator Gerald Hoebart as saying
possible theft was being looked into since the younger woman appeared to
have lived off her aunt’s pension since the death and used her cashpoint
card to withdraw money.
An autopsy was planned to check whether any foul play was involved in the
death, believed to have happened in August 2006.
