Regina Michalski death concealment case

Regina Michalski was an elderly woman whose body was found inside a freezer in Chicago, Illinois, in 2023. Her death had been concealed by her daughter, Eva Bratcher, for two years, which police believed was done in order to collect her social security payments.

## Background

### Regina Michalski

Regina Michalski was born in either 1926 or 1927. She grew up in Poland during Nazi occupation, eventually migrating to the United States, and to the Chicago area. She married and had at least two children, one of which was Eva.

### Eva Bratcher

Eva Michalski was born in 1953. She enlisted in U.S. Military in 1975 and served 19 years, retiring in 1994. During this period, she married Robert Bratcher, and had at least one daughter, Sabrina. Robert and Eva eventually separated. Around 1998, Eva Bratcher was convicted of a crime and served time in prison. She instructed Sabrina, then 14 years old, that if Michalski were to pass away while she was imprisoned, she should be buried under a false name so that her social security checks would still arrive in the mail.

In January 2006, Bratcher pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery and received six months in Cook County Jail, followed by two years of probation. After her release later that year, she violated her terms of probation by committing battery and violating a restraining order, and again received prison time. Bratcher was again convicted of forgery in 2010 and was sentenced to four years in prison. In addition to all these crimes, Bratcher had numerous charges that were later dropped, including assault, theft, property damage, and disorderly conduct.

At some point, Bratcher became the landlord of the property at 5529 West Melrose Street in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago, renting the second-floor apartment to a number of people. She and Michalski lived together on the first floor.

Sabrina eventually married and moved to Kentucky, with her surname changing to Watson. The last time she had seen her grandmother was more than a decade before her death, and at the time, Michalski was reportedly in poor health. Bratcher had once stolen Watson's identity to falsely claim that she was unable to work as she was Michalski's caretaker. She attempted something similar with Watson's husband.

## Michalski's death

On or around March 4, 2021, Bratcher discovered that the 94-year-old Michalski was dead. She subsequently stored her body in an unknown location for a week before purchasing a deep freezer from Abt Electronics and placing it in the garage. Michalski's body was hidden inside the freezer for nearly two years.

According to neighbors, Bratcher's explanations for Michalski's absence varied. To some, she claimed her mother was being cared for in an assisted living facility in Wisconsin. To others, she claimed she was still living in the apartment, and to others still, she claimed Michalski had simply passed away.

Bratcher blocked Watson's phone number and never answered to her when she came to visit the apartment. Watson was skeptical that Michalski could still be alive, and searched online repeatedly for her obituary, to no avail. In her search for answers, she created a Facebook page titled "Keep Eva Michalski/Bratcher in Prison", and stated in a post that Bratcher was "A DANGEROUS CRIMINAL".

## Discovery

On January 30, 2023, Watson called Chicago police and requested a wellness check at the West Melrose Street apartment. As police searched the property, they discovered Michalski's body inside the freezer in the garage. A calendar found inside Michalski's quarters had its last entry dated 2 p.m. on March 4, 2021, which police believed to be around the time of her death. Also discovered in the apartment was a fake ID that bore Bratcher's photo but listed Michalski's name. Bratcher had also forged Michalski's signature on a document received after her death. The receipt for the freezer was also found.

Bratcher was subsequently arrested. She admitted to having stored Michalski's body in the freezer, but did not reveal a motive. An autopsy could immediately be performed on the body, as it needed time to thaw.

### Court proceedings

Bratcher was charged with concealment of death and possession of a fraudulent ID, and first appeared in court on February 2, 2023. Watson delivered a statement in court supporting the police's theory that Bratcher had concealed Michalski's death in order to collect her social security checks. Other relatives, including Bratcher's ex-husband, Robert, agreed with this theory.

## Citations

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 https://abc7chicago.com/eva-batcher-regina-michalski-body-in-freezer-social-security-fraud/12763071/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/woman-charged-concealing-death-96-year-old-mother/
3. ↑ https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/body-of-96-year-old-woman-found-in-chicago-garage-freezer/
4. ↑ https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/national-international/horrifying-details-revealed-in-court-after-chicago-woman-accused-of-hiding-mothers-body-in-freezer/3489616/
5. ↑ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/daughter-charged-moms-body-found-chicago-freezer-rcna69198