What did Eva Bratcher do? Chicago woman charged over hiding mother’s dead body in freezer for over two years

Chicago woman Eva Bratcher was charged with concealment of the death of her 96-year-old mother and possession of a fraudulent identification card. Bratcher appeared in court on Thursday, February 2, 2023, where her bond was set at $20,000.

The 69-year-old was accused of storing her mother's dead body in a freezer for over two years. Police said the body of Regina Michalski was found earlier this week in a freezer stored in a garage near the apartment that Bratcher shared with her mother.

Authorities also believe that Michalski passed away two years ago on March 4, 2021, but are awaiting results for the same. ABC7 News reported that although an autopsy was conducted on the body, a cause and manner of death are still pending.

During the hearing, Judge David Kelly stated that the allegations and the details were "very disturbing." The judge also turned down Eva Bratcher's defense lawyer's request for a lower bond to ensure her release from jail.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, investigators are also trying to determine whether Bratcher collected her dead mother's Social Security benefits over the past couple of years.

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Eva Bratcher's daughter had reportedly requested a checkup after losing contact with her grandmother

The body of Regina Michalski, who is believed to have died in March 2021, was discovered in a deep freezer in the garage of a two-flat apartment building. The body was found after Michalski's granddaughter asked the police to conduct a wellness check after she claimed to have lost contact with her grandmother

Regina Michalski shared an apartment with her daughter, Eva Bratcher, in the 5500 block of West Melrose Street in Chicago.

Bratcher's estranged daughter, 38-year-old Sabrina Watson from Kentucky spoke to ABC7 and said that her grandmother was put in a freezer "like she wasn't human." She added that there was nothing her mother wouldn't do for money and said:

"And if that means putting a body in a freezer, she will put a body in a freezer."

Watson reportedly had to be hospitalized after the stress and worry of the past few days got to her. While talking about her mother's greed, she also narrated an incident that took place two decades ago when Eva Bratcher was imprisoned for a previous case.

Bratcher had allegedly instructed then-14-year-old Sabrina to bury her grandmother under a different name if she died while Eva was serving her time. This seemed to imply that Eva Bratcher had been collecting Michalski's social security for some time now.

Watson recounted the incident and said that her mother had hidden papers with a different name underneath Regina's bed and asked Watson to bury her grandmother with that name. When asked why, Eva supposedly told her daughter that she wanted Regina's "social security checks to keep coming."

Sabrina Watson further told ABC7 that her mother had blocked her phone number long ago and no one would open the door if she visited the Melrose Street apartment.

"I did suspect she was no longer alive and with us. I did not suspect her being found in the conditions she was found, and where she was found."

Prosecutors said they came across identity proof in the apartment that had Eva Bratcher's photograph on it with her late mother's name. Other documents found included a receipt showing that the freezer had been purchased around the same time that investigators believe Regina Michalski died.

Eva Bratcher has a long history of criminal records, including multiple counts of forgery, misdemeanor counts of battery, and violating an order of protection in separate cases.