Wisconsin woman accused of hiding her mother's corpse to cash checks

A woman from Wisconsin hid her mother's body for weeks after her death so she could continue to cash the pension and social security checks of the deceased woman, officials said.

Paula Ann Bergold, 60, a resident of Marinette, Wisconsin, was charged with three counts of failure to report a death, concealment of a corpse and obstruction of an officer, according to a complaint filed by Marinette County Assistant Attorney, Tessa Button.

For weeks, a 89-year-old neighbor of Rudy Bergold worried that he had not seen his old friend and asked Marinette County's deputy ministers to carry out a control of the property. 39, social assistance, according to prosecutors.

MEPs made at least two visits to Bergold's home on 12 and 13 September, and no one opened the door, officials said.

During the September 13 visit, MPs noted that handwritten notes had been left around the property. "Ruby left town to visit some of our friends" – signed by Paula Bergold, who lives nearby, officials said.

Finally, last week, Paula Bergold reportedly told investigators that her mother had died on a chair inside her home, about 50 km north of Green Bay.

"Paula said that she wanted to call the police when she found Ruby, but that she just could not bring herself to do it." She still thought she'd call Tomorrow, but never did, "according to the complaint.

The girl finally moved her mother's body into a bathtub and hid it in the basement, hoping that Borax, a cleaning agent and mothballs could kill the odor.

"Paula said that she was living off her mother's income, namely social security, shares and dividends from her father's retirement," according to the criminal complaint not specifying the amount involved. "Paula said that she was worried about the money and that it had played into her decision not to report the death of her mother."

The criminal complaint did not specify the exact date of Rudy Bergold's death but indicated that the "concealment of a corpse" offense occurred between 1 August and 18 September.

Bergold is held on bail of $ 10,000 and has not yet hired a lawyer, according to prison records. His next court date is October 7th.