TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A woman in northern Taiwan was recently charged with abandoning a corpse after she had refused to claim her deceased father’s body from a hospital for 10 years.

According to the Shilin District Prosecutors Office’s indictment, a man surnamed Chang (張) died at Taipei Veterans General Hospital on May 3, 2012, CNA reported. The hospital notified Chang’s daughter, surnamed Lien (連), of her father’s death multiple times, but she refused to claim the body from the hospital, the indictment said.

During the police investigation, Lien said that she had told her three younger sisters that she would take care of their father’s funeral and that she refused to accept the hospital’s suggestions on the handling of the funeral.

Chang’s remains have been kept in cold storage at the hospital mortuary, the hospital told police, adding that they had contacted Lien several times.

Lien told the hospital that other family members lacked the ability to cope with the medical bills and other related matters and that she would make all decisions about her father’s funeral.

The Shilin District Prosecutors Office charged Lien with abandoning a corpse. According to Taiwan’s criminal law, "A person who damages, abandons, insults or steals a corpse shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than six months but not more than five years.”