PESHTIGO, WI-- A Peshtigo, Wisconsin woman who pleaded guilty to hiding her mother’s body to receive her Social Security checks has been sentenced to probation.
WBAY-TV says 61-year-old Paula Bergold was given seven years. If she violates probation she could spend three years in prison and three years on extended supervision. She was also sentenced to 13 days in jail but was given credit for time served.
In September of 2019 the body of Bergold’s 89-year old mother, Ruby, was found in a tub in the basement of her home. Paula Bergold said she’d died of natural causes but she couldn’t bring herself to call police.
Bergold was convicted of hiding a corpse. Charges of failing to report a death and resisting/obstructing an officer were dropped as part of a plea agreement. She must continue mental health treatment as part of the deal.
