Chicago woman arrested after 96-year-old mother’s body found in freezer
02/06/2023 2:00 pm PST
CHICAGO (TCD) -- A 69-year-old woman was arrested last week after her 96-year-old mother’s body was found in a freezer during a welfare check.
According to WLS-TV, Regina Michalski’s granddaughter, Sabrina Watson, called Chicago Police and asked them to conduct a welfare check on the 96-year-old even though the two hadn’t spoken in years. When police went to the apartment building on the 5500 block of West Melrose Street, they ultimately discovered Michalski’s body in a garage freezer.
Police arrested Michalski’s daughter and the building’s landlord, Eva Bratcher.
WGN-TV reports Bratcher is charged with concealing a death and possessing a fraudulent identification card. Court records cited by WGN report Michalski, a Polish immigrant and World War II survivor, died March 4, 2021. Bratcher allegedly bought the large freezer and put her mother’s body in it about a week later.
Bratcher reportedly collected rent from the other tenants in the building and allegedly said her mother was in a nursing home.
Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Pekara told WLS investigators executed a search warrant at the apartment and police found an ID with Michalski’s name but Bratcher’s photo on it.
WLS reports Bratcher was convicted of two counts of forgery in 2006 and again in 2010.
A judge set her bond at $200,000 and required her to be on electronic monitoring if she were released.
Michalski’s autopsy results are still pending.
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