"Ummm... Mom, where's dad?"

(New York City) When Paul Iversen came out almost a decade ago he became estranged from his Brooklyn family, but now, with the holidays coming on and his family advancing in years he felt it was time to try to reconcile with his father.

Iversen knocked on his parents apartment door Tuesday and asked his mother if he could see his father.

The 73 year old woman opened the door, the New York Daily News reports, and told him his father was in the bedroom. There he found the skeletal remains of the father, under the covers in bed, lying in a fetal position.

The son persuaded the elderly woman to call police.

The Daily News reports that the woman told investigators that Frank Iversen, 75, had died of natural causes three years ago. She did not report the death because she wanted to continue collecting his Social Security benefits.

The paper quotes unnamed police sources as saying the woman told investigators that she and her husband had made a pact that if one of them died the other would hide the body to continue collecting the benefits.

Neighbors told the Daily News that they had noticed foul odors coming from the apartment for more than a year but did not think to notify police.

The paper said that Frank Iversen had not been to a doctor for decades. An autopsy will be performed by the medical examiners office to determine an exact cause of death, but that could prove difficult or impossible because of the condition of the body.

Joanne Iversen allowed herself to be checked into Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.