Owner death — software wallet (2021)

Survives

Case description

A Bitcoin holder died in May 2021 leaving a handwritten note directing the estate to a hardware wallet in a specific drawer. The note described a 25-word passphrase seed, but in the handwriting only 24 words were legible — the 19th word was ambiguous between two similar words. Professional recovery tested both options; the correct word was found on the second attempt.

Custody context

Stress condition	Owner death
Custody system	Mobile or software wallet
Outcome	Survives
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2021
Country	Unknown

Structural dependencies observed

Single point of failure

Outcome interpretation

Access remained 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.