The specialist was able to identify the correct derivation path and successfully

Survives

Case description

A September 2025 Bitcoin estate case involved a California holder who had stored their seed phrase in a physical vault at a bank branch. The vault had been opened correctly by the executor, and the seed phrase was present and legible. However, the executor—an attorney with no technical knowledge of Bitcoin—did not know how to use the seed phrase. After engaging a blockchain specialist, it was determined the seed phrase was for an Electrum wallet with a non-standard derivation path. The specialist was able to identify the correct derivation path and successfully restored access to 4.1 BTC worth approximately $380,000 at September 2025 prices.

Custody context

Stress condition	Owner death
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2025
Country	United States

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failure

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible under the reported conditions.

Source

Privately Reported

Evidence type

News article

Evidence link

https://www.wealthmanagement.com/estate-planning/bitcoin-after-death-2025-estate-guide

Related cases involving owner death

119 cases involve owner death 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

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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.