Sleeping with corpses

DUBLIN – An elderly Irishwoman shared a room with her sister’s corpse for up to a year and sometimes slept with it in the same bed, newspapers reported yesterday.

Mary Ellen Lyons never told anyone that her sister Agnes had died, the reports said. Even their brother Michael, who lived in the same remote bungalow in rural western Ireland, did not know.An inquest heard on Monday that Agnes probably died in 2002 — possibly in September — at the age of 70.However, her body was only discovered in August 2003 when Mary Ellen fell ill and had to be taken to hospital.The inquest heard the three siblings lived in “a world apart” and that the sisters were deeply religious.After Agnes’ death, Mary Ellen sometimes slept in the same double bed as the corpse and sometimes in the bathroom.- Nampa-ReutersEven their brother Michael, who lived in the same remote bungalow in rural western Ireland, did not know. An inquest heard on Monday that Agnes probably died in 2002 — possibly in September — at the age of 70. However, her body was only discovered in August 2003 when Mary Ellen fell ill and had to be taken to hospital. The inquest heard the three siblings lived in “a world apart” and that the sisters were deeply religious. After Agnes’ death, Mary Ellen sometimes slept in the same double bed as the corpse and sometimes in the bathroom. – Nampa-Reuters