Woman lives with mummified body of dead aunt for year

Austrian woman lived with the mummified remains of her dead aunt for more than a year, police said Wednesday.

Photo: Woman lives with mummified body of dead aunt for year

Officials said the remains of the 96-year-old aunt were discovered late Tuesday in a bed in the apartment the two women shared, and that a preliminary investigation indicated the elderly woman died in August 2006.

Her niece, described only as a 51-year-old, was taken to a psychiatric hospital for examination, police said in a statement.

Police said the niece first told officers at her door that her aunt was sleeping and could not be disturbed. Austrian broadcaster ORF reported that a dog then tried to block access to the bed where she was found.

Investigators planned to conduct an autopsy on the body to determine if any foul play was involved. Police did not specify how the body came to be mummified.