Trial begins in Finland over storing parents’ bodies in freezers
In Finland, the Southwest Finland District Court in Turku has begun hearing the case of an 81-year-old man. He faces two charges of violating the sanctity of a grave; his brother, who is 10 years younger, is also charged in one of the episodes, YLE News reports.
Bodies found during a search
Police said that in 2024, during a search of a storage facility at a private house in Turku, they found two bodies. According to law enforcement, the bodies of the man’s parents had been kept in freezer units for around 30 years.
The parents died of natural causes in 1994 and 1995. After the pre-trial investigation was completed, charges related to the storage of the bodies were brought against the elder son. At that stage, the prosecutor decided not to bring charges against the younger brother.
Police did not establish a clear motive for keeping the bodies. In a comment to YLE, the man explained this as being his parents’ wish.
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Incident at a cemetery
The second episode of the case is likely connected to an incident at a cemetery in Turku in October 2025. Cemetery workers found the brothers digging up a family grave, which had continued for several days, and intervened.
Pekka Sorri, head of funeral services at the Turku and Kaarina Parish Union, confirmed the incident to YLE. The reasons why the brothers were digging up the grave remain unclear. According to Lasse Hyösti, the head of the investigation, their parents had not yet been buried at that time.
The burial was later arranged by the municipalities of Mariehamn and Lieto. The start of the hearings was postponed from April to September because one of the defendants could not be served with a court summons in time.
