In a shocking incident a man was found to be living with the decaying bodies of his dead mum and twin brother for more than a year.
He said he did not report their deaths because he was traumatised.
The man, 60-year-old Robert James Kuefler, was charged by police in White Bear, Minnesota, with interference with a dead body or scene of death, according to Inside Edition.
The macabre living first came into view in September 2016, when the neighbours asked police to check on Kuefler’s residence.
Responding officers found the house to have the stench of decay and discovered the skeletal remains of Kuefler’s mum Evelyn in an upstairs bedroom. The mummified remains of his twin brother Richard was found in the basement. The report was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Autopsies on the body revealed that both had died of natural causes, Richard in July 2015 and his mum a month later.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Kuefler said, “I was traumatized. What would you do?” He went on to add, “I am not some nut ball. People think I am, but I’m not. I loved them.”
Kuefler told the police that he fpound his brother dead in a chair and eventually moved him to the bathroom as he was getting in the way, according to a court document.
He further added that he knew his mother was on deathbed but didn’t want to be around when she died, so he left the house to drive around a couple of hours.
She was already dead, when he returned, according to the Star Tribune.
Notably, Kuefler hid the deaths from family members, CBS News reported. He even sent out Christmas cards saying his brother and mom were in bad health and did not want visitors or phone calls.
While police initially accused him of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, they later dropped the claims for lack of evidence.
It turns out that while disability and Social Security checks for Kuefler’s mother and brother were directly deposited to their bank accounts, no money was withdrawn. Kuefler told AP he did not tap the accounts.
Authorities have decided d to file a misdemeanor charge against Kuefler last week so he’ll have access psychological help through the court system.
However, Kuefler told AP he doesn’t think he needs counseling.
