An Illinois woman allegedly concealed her mother’s body in a garage freezer for two years, assumed her identity and continued collecting Social Security and food benefits; prosecutors put the intended loss at $21,402
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 freezer
The 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. Authorities allege that about a week later, Bratcher purchased a new freezer and placed her mother’s body inside it. Investigators later found the freezer receipt at the residence. The body remained undiscovered until January 2023, when a relative became suspicious and contacted Chicago police. An autopsy was subsequently conducted, although the results were inconclusive.The discovery triggered a separate criminal case in Cook County, where Bratcher was charged with concealing a death or moving a body and possessing a fraudulent identification document.
Alleged identity theft
The report also states that the federal prosecutors now allege that the concealment was accompanied by a broader effort to continue accessing benefits intended for Michalski. The indictment alleges that Bratcher assumed her mother’s identity and continued receiving Social Security benefits after her death. Prosecutors also accuse her of using her mother’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and an alternative Social Security number to obtain additional SNAP assistance for which she was allegedly not eligible. The intended loss in the federal case is listed at $21,402.Authorities also allege that Bratcher possessed at least one identification card bearing her mother’s name but Bratcher’s photograph when she was arrested in connection with the earlier case, the online report adds.
Earlier case ended in guilty plea
The federal charges follow a state prosecution stemming from the discovery of Michalski’s body. According to court records, Bratcher had recorded her mother’s death on a calendar at the home. She later pleaded guilty in August 2023 to concealing her mother’s death and received a sentence of 213 days in jail, with credit for time already served.Bratcher, a U.S. Army veteran who was born in Poland, also had previous convictions for forgery, violating an order of protection and domestic battery, according to court records. The new federal indictment focuses specifically on the alleged theft of government benefits and identity-related fraud rather than the concealment of the body itself.
Federal fraud crackdown
The charges were announced as part of a broader Justice Department initiative focused on fraud involving Social Security programs. Federal authorities have increasingly targeted cases in which benefits continue to be collected after recipients die or are obtained through the use of another person’s identity. Bratcher is scheduled to make her first appearance in federal court at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago. Court records did not list an attorney for her at the time the charges were announced. The federal indictment contains allegations, and Bratcher is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.Images Courtesy: Chicago Tribune and istock
