With more details emerging about the reasons for the “body in the backyard” in Celorico da Beira, Guarda, it appears that the Scottish wife who buried her husband did so to avoid the costs of a funeral. According to Jornal de Notícias, she also went on “receiving her husband’s benefits”.
The 46-year-old woman is due to appear before magistrates in a summary judgement for profaning a body, writes national tabloid Correio da Manhã this morning.
The charge comes due to the fact that no death certificate was filed with authorities.
Needless to say, reports yesterday did allude to the fact that the woman told police at least a month ago that her husband was dead (click here).
The bizarre story hit the headlines yesterday as initial suspicions were that the man may have been murdered. This now looks unlikely, although JN highlights the testimony of a neighbour, who claims the woman told him that her husband had been buried in Tábua – which the neighbour distrusted.
Says CM, the husband, “aged around 60”, suffered from “a serious oncological illness” and had been in Scotland for some time over last summer.
He returned to his wife in September, and this appears to be the last time anyone can remember seeing him.
“The circumstances of death have not been defined, though authorities are inclined to the theory that it occurred naturally and that the wife buried the body on her property to avoid the costs of a funeral”, the paper explains.
The results of an autopsy are expected to fully clarify the situation, as the wife faces what will almost certainly be a suspended prison sentence, or fine.
No mention this far has been made of any other family members who might be aware of the man’s death and unconventional burial, or indeed may have only just learnt of it.
