All eyes are now on the forensic examination in the case that has shocked the historic town of Mystras, near Sparta, after the body of a 90-year-old man was found inside a freezer in the basement of a hotel owned by his 55-year-old son. The arrested man claims his father died of natural causes around two and a half years ago and that he concealed the death in order to continue collecting his pension, but testimony from local residents places the elderly man’s disappearance considerably earlier, a discrepancy that is now one of the central questions authorities must resolve.

The key question: time of death

The most significant unresolved detail concerns the exact period of the 90-year-old’s death.

According to what the 55-year-old reportedly told police, his father died of an underlying illness somewhere between two and two and a half years ago. However, residents of Mystras say they had not seen the elderly man for at least four to five years, a clear discrepancy that authorities are now expected to investigate.

The post-mortem and forensic examination are expected to shed light on the mystery, working to determine both the time and exact cause of death.

The investigation began with a tip-off

The case began to unravel after the Laconia Police Directorate received information that the elderly man had not been seen for a long period of time.

The 55-year-old initially claimed his father was living in Athens. However, when officers contacted his sister, she told them she too had not seen him in years and that their father had in fact been living with her brother in Mystras.

These developments led to a search, carried out in the presence of a prosecutor, at the hotel owned by the 55-year-old, which was no longer operating as a business and was instead being used as a private residence.

The body in the freezer, and a financial motive

In the basement of the building, officers discovered the 90-year-old’s body inside a commercial freezer.

According to the official statement from the Hellenic Police (ELAS), the 55-year-old is accused of concealing his father’s death in order to continue receiving his pension payments.

Officers also say he admitted to collecting his late mother’s pension as well; she had died years earlier, but the payments had continued to be made to her husband as the registered beneficiary.

Testimony describes a “ghost” hotel

Local residents describe the property as having been effectively abandoned in recent years, with minimal activity and its doors almost always shut.

According to local media, suspicions that something was wrong had been circulating for some time, with the 55-year-old reportedly preventing outsiders from entering not just the hotel itself but even the surrounding grounds.

The same reports indicate that mounting rumours eventually led to a formal complaint, which prompted police to act.

No indication of criminal violence so far

According to information from Greek public broadcaster ERT, the body showed no visible external injuries suggesting a violent crime.

Even so, authorities are awaiting the results of the forensic examination, since the body’s prolonged storage in a freezer means it must first be fully thawed before any safe conclusions can be drawn.

Charges and the next steps in the investigation

A case file has been opened against the 55-year-old for false testimony, continuous fraud and a firearms offence, after an air pistol was seized during the search.

The preliminary investigation continues under the Sparta Crime Detection and Investigation Department, with the forensic examination expected to be the key factor determining the case’s next steps.

The Hellenic Police statement

“On Tuesday (4 August 2026) at midday, in a local community in the Municipality of Sparta, officers from the Sparta Crime Detection and Investigation Department arrested a 55-year-old Greek national in connection with an investigation into the disappearance of his 90-year-old father. The subsequent detailed police investigation established that he had concealed his father’s death from the authorities in order to continue receiving his pension.

A case file has been opened against the 55-year-old for false testimony, continuous fraud and violation of firearms legislation.

During a search carried out, in the presence of a judicial officer, at a hotel no longer in operation and owned by the 55-year-old, the body of a man was found inside a freezer in the basement; the body belonged to his deceased 90-year-old father. During the same search, an air pistol was also found and seized.

A forensic doctor attended the scene, along with a team from the Sparta Forensic Investigation Office, and a post-mortem examination of the body has been ordered.”