Horrifying Details Revealed in Court After Chicago Woman Accused of Hiding Mother's Body in Freezer

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Details were revealed in court Wednesday in the case of a 70-year-old woman accused of hiding her mother's body in a freezer, with prosecutors revealing the body has been concealed for nearly two years.

According to a bond court proffer, 96-year-old Regina Michalski died at home on March 4, 2021, in the presence of her daughter, Eva Bratcher, who faces felony charges of concealment of a death and possession of a fraudulent identification card.

Police were led to the body after Bratcher's estranged daughter called Chicago police asking for a wellness check on Michalski.

The date and time of Michalski's death was recorded in a calendar that was recovered from Bratcher's home.

Court documents reveal that approximately one week later, Bratcher purchased a new storage freezer from Abt Electronics, which was immediately used for the storage of Michalski's body.

The freezer containing Michalski's body was then moved into the garage of Bratcher's Portage Park residence, where she remained until being discovered on Jan. 30 of this year, according to a bond court proffer.

Michalski's body was discovered after Bratcher's estranged daughter contacted Chicago police on Jan. 30 requesting a wellness check on Michalski.

Bratcher was arrested after police arrived and discovered Michalski's body inside the freezer.

She later admitted to police that she purchased the freezer to store her mother's body, and had collected rent from the other tenants of the building from the time of Michalski's death until now.

Court documents reveal that Bratcher told one of the residents of the building and a neighbor that Michalski was moved into a nursing home, in an attempt to explain her absence.

A search warrant was then executed on Bratcher's residence, uncovering a fraudulent identification card with Bratcher's photo and Michalski's name on it. A document signed with Michalski's name was also uncovered, with the written date of the signature having occurred after Michalski's death.

The cause of death remains unknown, as the body's frozen state has made an autopsy impossible until later this week.

Bratcher is due back in court on Feb. 21.

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