Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00645
Documentation absent — software wallet (2019)
ConstrainedCase description
An October 2019 estate case involved a living but cognitively impaired person whose family sought access to their Bitcoin holdings. The person had accumulated coins through multiple channels — direct purchase, mining, and gifts — across 14 different wallets. No consolidated record of the wallets existed. The family's forensic effort identified 11 of the 14 wallets; the other three remain unlocated.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Documentation absent |
| Custody system | Mobile or software wallet |
| Outcome | Constrained |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2019 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
What this illustrates
Nobody had written down how to get back in. That knowledge existed only in the owner's head. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
Forum post
Related cases involving documentation absent
193 cases involve documentation absent
572 cases involve mobile or software wallet
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This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
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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.
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