Authorities arrested a 65-year-old Austrian man after he attempted to cross the border into Croatia with a dead woman seated in the passenger seat of his car.
The incident took place late November at the Gunja border crossing between Bosnia and Croatia, where the man presented travel documents for himself and the deceased woman, according to CBS News.
Police later revealed that the 83-year-old woman had died in Bosnia, and the man was attempting to return her body to Austria to bypass the formal legal procedures required for transporting a corpse.
Border officials grew suspicious when the woman appeared unresponsive and uncommunicative during routine checks. After calling a coroner to the scene, authorities confirmed that the woman was dead.
Local media identified the man as the woman’s legal guardian, though police have not officially confirmed their relationship.
The case has been handed over to prosecutors in Croatia, who are expected to determine whether the man will face charges for attempting to smuggle the corpse across the border.
