Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01210
Hidden wallet discovered — hardware wallet (2024)
SurvivesCase description
A 2024 estate case involved a husband and wife who had jointly purchased Bitcoin in 2017. When the husband died, the wife—who had relied entirely on her husband to manage the technical custody—discovered she had no knowledge of how to access the holdings. She knew they had used 'some kind of USB device.' Three USB sticks were found in the house: one contained the Electrum wallet software installation file, one contained a wallet.dat file, and one was a personal storage drive unrelated to Bitcoin. She did not know which device was the hardware wallet or whether she needed all three. A technical specialist identified the relevant files and subsequently the associated wallet password through partial-match recovery.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Documentation absent |
| Custody system | Hardware wallet (single key) |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2024 |
| Country | United States |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Privately Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving documentation absent
193 cases involve documentation absent
274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key)
View archive statistics →
This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
Submit a case
← All cases
Framework references
Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority
Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.
Professional Scope Boundary Matrix
What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.
The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody
How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.
Translate