Ananova:

An Iowa woman allegedly faked her own death to avoid paying parking tickets.

Police say Kimberly Du, 36, was caught out after she got another ticket a month after her 'death', reports KCCI News.

Investigators said Du, of Des Moines, faked her own obituary and forged a letter telling a judge she had died in a car crash.

She allegedly included a phony obituary, made to look like a page from The Des Moines Register's website.

"The state still has to convince a jury of 12, but faking your own death is not a good idea," said Bob Rigg, of the Drake Law Clinic.

The case began to unravel when investigators said Du was stopped for another traffic ticket - a month after the obituary was dated.

She now faces up to five years in prison for fraud - instead of the $500 fine she might have expected for failing to pay her parking tickets.