Authorities have arrested a 55-year-old man after discovering the body of his 90-year-old father inside a commercial freezer in the basement of a home in the historic town of Mystras, in extreme southern Greece, in a case that police investigators say was motivated by pension fraud.
The investigation began after authorities received information that the elderly man had not been seen for an extended period. During the inquiry, police questioned the victim’s son before searching the property, where they found the body concealed inside a commercial freezer in a basement room.
A forensic pathologist who examined the body at the scene found no obvious signs of external injuries, according to preliminary findings. The exact cause of death will be determined following a full autopsy.
The 55-year-old was arrested and reportedly told investigators that his father had died of natural causes. According to police sources, he admitted placing the body in the freezer so he could continue collecting the deceased man’s pension.
The investigation is focusing on establishing the precise circumstances and timing of the 90-year-old’s death, while authorities are also examining the extent of any financial fraud against the state.
The case bears similarities to another pension fraud investigation uncovered in Greece last year. In that case, a 62-year-old municipal employee in Boeotia (Viotia) prefecture allegedly concealed her 90-year-old mother’s death by secretly burying her on rural property, allowing her to continue collecting pension and disability payments for years. That investigation later expanded into a homicide probe after inconsistencies emerged over the reported date of death and forensic experts were called in to establish the timeline.
