NASCAR corpse: The next time your partner dies and you’re left with no one to watch the races with, it’s still probably a good idea to tell someone about the body. Otherwise, they’re just going to think you’re a macabre weirdo who doesn’t have a lot of friends or family to speak of. And while I’m definitely not passing judgment on the poor Michigan woman who left her deceased partner in his chair for 18 months, reporting dead bodies is just a good rule of thumb to live by.
72 year-old Linda Chase kept Charles Zigler’s body in her house so she wouldn’t be lonely, according to the Associated Press. In order to maintain some level of normalcy, Chase would clean and dress Zigler’s corpse on a regular basis. When it came time to watch NASCAR, Chase would sit in her living room and converse with the dead guy about the events transpiring on the television. Usually this sort of story amuses me, though, to be perfectly honest, this one is actually kind of depressing. I really feel bad for the woman.
Authorities believe Charles died sometime in December of 2010, with the cause of death likely natural. Although Chase won’t be charged for keeping a dead body in her home, she is currently being investigated for financial fraud since she cashed Zigler’s benefit checks following his death. That, apparently, is a no-no.
Police were alerted to the issue when Zigler’s son couldn’t reach his father. Whenever he tried to stop by the house, Chase would refuse to let him inside. “That wasn’t right to leave him lay like that,” the man’s son explained.
Chase, meanwhile, claims that she didn’t mean any harm. “It’s not that I’m heartless. I didn’t want to be alone. He was the only guy who was ever nice to me,” she said. “I’m probably going to prison. “I told them the truth. I didn’t lie about that.”