Chicago woman who hid mother's body in freezer charged with Social Security, SNAP fraud

A Chicago woman who hid her mother's body in her freezer for two years is now facing additional federal charges of Social Security and SNAP fraud.

Eva Bratcher pleaded guilty to one count of concealing a death and moving a body and one count of possessing a fraudulent ID card, both felonies, in 2023, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Bratcher's mother, Regina Michalski,  died in March of 2021. Her daughter bought a freezer a week after her death, and storing the corpse in it in the garage of her Portage Park home.

The body was discovered when Bratcher's estranged daughter Sabrina Watson, called Chicago police for a wellbeing check on her grandmother. Watson told CBS News Chicago at the time that she believed her mother did it all for money.

Tuesday the U.S. Department of Justice announced Bratcher has subsequently been indicted on federal charges for allegedly collecting her mother's Social Security benefits and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits during the two years she hid her body.

Federal prosecutors said during the years her mother's death wasn't public, Bratcher assumed her identity, collected her Social Security benefits and used her SNAP benefits, and also allegedly used an alternative Social Security Number to steal additional SNAP benefits.

Federal prosectors said in total she stole $21,402.

She has been indicted on charges theft of government property and fraud, misrepresentation or misuse of Social Security benefits. If convicted she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the first charge, and five years in prison for the second.

Bratcher was indicted on Aug. 24, court records show. The DOJ did not announce the charges until more than a month later, when she was highlighted as part of larger announcement about $1.34 million in stolen Social Security benefits uncovered across the country.

Brachter is due in federal court in Chicago on Oct. 1.