The grandson of an 85-year-old woman found dead — her body wrapped in plastic bags — was charged Thursday morning for not reporting her death, police said.
Police were first called to Erika Kraus-Breslin’s Ridgewood house on 65th Street when her daughter asked them to check on the older woman at about 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
When they got there, they found Kraus-Breslin’s 30-year-old grandson, Christopher Fuhrer. He showed them to a bedroom, where his grandmother’s body was wrapped in the bags, police said. Air fresheners were placed inside the bags to help with the smell.
Fuhrer, who lived with his grandmother, was taken into custody Wednesday, and then charged with not reporting death to a health officer, improper burial, and burial or body removal without a permit.
So far, criminality isn’t suspected in Kraus-Breslin’s death, a police official said Thursday. Fuhrer may have been unable to cope with the loss of his grandmother or was in a state of denial, the official said.
The cause of death is being determined by the medical examiner.
(With Alison Fox and Newsday)
