After Mom Died, 56-Year-Old Son Dressed Up as Her

A 56-year-old Italian man is under investigation for allegedly disguising himself as his late mother in a bizarre pension fraud reminiscent of the film Mrs. Doubtfire. Authorities say the man, a former nurse who is currently unemployed, never reported the death of his 85-year-old mother, Graziella Dall'Oglio, in 2022, and instead collected about $60,000 in survivor's pension and family estate income. The scheme unraveled when the man—dressed in a blouse, skirt, heavy makeup, and a short brown wig—visited a registry office in Borgo Virgilio to renew his mother's ID card, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, per People.

A clerk reportedly became suspicious after noticing neck hair and what appeared to be beard stubble beneath the makeup. "His voice was feminine but every so often it dipped and sounded masculine," says Borgo Virgilio mayor Francesco Aporti, per the Telegraph. And "the skin on his hands did not seem to be that of an 85-year-old woman."

The office also realized the individual had arrived by car, though Dall'Oglio did not have a license. Authorities reviewed surveillance footage and called the man back to the office, where he was confronted by police and the mayor and admitted to the deception. Authorities later searched the family home, where they found the "mummified body" of Dall'Oglio. It had been wrapped in a bed sheet, placed in a sleeping bag, and concealed in a laundry room, the Telegraph reports. An autopsy is pending, but officials say the woman likely died of natural causes. Her son, who remains unidentified, is now being investigated for concealing a corpse, fraud, impersonation, and falsifying public documents.