Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00188
A Cryptsy account holder died in April 2015.
BlockedCase description
A Cryptsy account holder died in April 2015. Their estate filed a claim with the exchange. Unknown to the estate, Cryptsy was already effectively insolvent at the time of death, having concealed the 2014 hack. When Cryptsy collapsed in December 2015, the estate's claim was treated as an unsecured creditor claim in a pool that recovered cents on the dollar.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner death |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Blocked |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2015 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
What this illustrates
There was only one way in. When that path was gone, so was access. Access was not recoverable.
Outcome interpretation
Access was not possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving owner death
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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