Psycho meets Mrs Doubtfire: Italian son poses as dead mum to claim $80k of her pension

In a yarn that is a cross between Psycho and Mrs Doubtfire, a 56-year-old nurse in a northern Italian town stashed the body of his dead mother, dressed up like her, and claimed thousands of euros of her pension money.

Mrs Graziella Dall’Oglio died in Mantuo town, in the Lombardi region, three years ago at age 82.

Her son did not report her death, wrapping her body in a sheet stuffed inside a sleeping bag. He hid it inside her house – a scene straight from Alfred Hitchcock horror classic Psycho.

Then he Mrs Doubtfire-ed himself. In the movie Mrs Doubtfire, a man disguises himself as a female to be a nanny to spend more time with his kids.

Newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that he cut his hair in the same style as his mother’s and dressed up as her.

He went to a government office in the suburb of Borgo Virgilio, renewed her identity card and began impersonating her.

In three years, he reeled in some €53,000 (S$80,000) worth of her pension, and took ownership of three houses.

But the ruse came to an end when an eagle-eyed employee at the pension office noticed some things were off with the thick neck, wrinkles and deep voice.

Mr Francesco Aporti, mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told Corriere della Sera that the man came to the pension office dressed like an old woman, with a long skirt, lipstick, nail varnish, a pearl necklace and old-style earrings.

“But, up close, his neck was too thick, and his wrinkles were strange. The skin on his hands did not seem to be that of an 85-year-old woman,” he said.

“His voice was feminine, but every so often, it dipped and sounded masculine. But I might not have noticed these strange features had they not been pointed out,” said Mr Aporti.

With his deception exposed, the man relented to having his home searched. The police found his mother’s remains.

“It is a very strange story and very, very sad,” added Mr Aporti.