Daughter Drives 120km with Mother's Corpse in Passenger Seat... "Didn't Want to Waste Vehicle Fare"

Police Statement: "Saved 700,000 Won on Funeral Vehicle"
Clear Violation... "Must Use Equipped Dedicated Vehicle"

A woman who drove a long distance with her deceased mother's body in the front passenger seat of her car in France has been fined. It is reported that she attempted to transport the body herself to save on funeral vehicle costs.

On the 27th (local time), the local daily Le Parisien reported on a phone call received by the Paris police around 10 p.m. on the 25th.

The woman who made the call identified herself as a resident of the 10th arrondissement and reported that her elderly mother had died at around 1 p.m. at the age of 93. However, she added that her mother had passed away at a countryside villa located 120 km away from Paris.

Le Parisien quoted a source saying, "The woman told the police that after cleaning up the scene where her mother died, she headed to Paris with the body in the front passenger seat to save on the funeral director’s transportation costs."

It added, "According to calculations made on a funeral insurance website, the round-trip transportation cost by the funeral director for the deceased’s body was estimated to be 500 euros (about 700,000 KRW)."

A hearse transporting a corpse. The photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

According to the French local charge general law, the transportation of a body before burial must be done using a hearse equipped with special equipment, and violating this can result in a fine. Therefore, the woman’s actions are clearly illegal.

The French Funeral Directors Association explained, "It is possible to transport a body even without a funeral vehicle, but for health reasons, there must be a separately isolated refrigerated compartment, and the body must be placed in a body bag."

They added, "Imagine if the deceased had died from an infectious disease, and the daughter stopped on the highway to take a break while transporting the body, potentially infecting others."

Investigators are questioning the woman about the circumstances of the death and the transportation process. It is also reported that the military police have been dispatched to the countryside villa where the deceased passed away to check for possible criminal involvement.