Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00331
Owner incapacity — software wallet 2016
BlockedCase description
A Bitcoin investor suffering from severe depression in August 2016 entered voluntary psychiatric care. During the admission process they were required to surrender their phone. The phone contained their primary wallet. When they retrieved the phone six weeks later, a mandatory software update had required a device wipe which deleted the wallet app and its data.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner incapacity |
| Custody system | Mobile or software wallet |
| Outcome | Blocked |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2016 |
| 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
Forum post
Related cases involving owner incapacity
68 cases involve owner incapacity
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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