A Bitcoin investor who had held coins since 2012 died in March 2016.

Blocked

Case description

A Bitcoin investor who had held coins since 2012 died in March 2016. Their will referenced 'the Bitcoin wallet in the desk drawer.' The estate found a USB drive in the desk but it was protected by a passphrase not recorded anywhere in the estate documents. The will predated common awareness of the need to document crypto access procedures.

Custody context

Stress condition	Owner death
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Blocked
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2016
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failureUndocumented procedure

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

Forum post

Evidence link

https://medium.com/@wayne_huang/rsa-2015-panel-bitcoin-s-future-threats-expert-s-roundtable-based-on-150-case-studies-92cc35e68e30

Related cases involving owner death

119 cases involve owner death 572 cases involve mobile or software wallet 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.