# faking own death **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 5, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743 "2015-06-05T21:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spaceandtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/779978/32.png) [@spaceandtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spaceandtime)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/1 "2015-06-05T21:50:17Z")
Hard to believe someone as astute as Cecil would make such an obvious logical error. Citing 2 unsuccessful tries at faking an abduction (and the Agatha Christie case might not qualify) & concluding a successful death-faking has never happened is so logically unsound it’s not even necessary to point out the flaws. We only find out about the failed efforts. Like intelligence operations we never hear about the successful ones. They wouldn’t be successful if we did. And I have direct knowledge of another failed effort. A person with my name (a total stranger) was arrested for faking his deatht30 years ago. On a few occasions I had to prove I wasn’t him. I don’t know the details but it was an insurance scam. He got caught & worked out a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to bigamy(?) A few years later he got arrested for starting a forest fire. It’s a real flake crime but I’m sure sometimes it works. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/2 "2015-06-05T22:18:14Z")
I assume you’re responding to this column: [Has any famous person ever succeeded in faking his own death?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2317/has-any-famous-person-ever-succeeded-in-faking-his-own-death) Note that the column is specifically about **famous** people. ---
**Author:** ![zhorika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/439d5e/32.png) [@zhorika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zhorika)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/3 "2015-06-07T07:34:07Z")
what about the case of John Stonehouse the last postmaster general, i know he may not have been as famous that side of the pond but in the UK for us old timers he did cause quite a scandal as the guardian newspaper put it twice born, twice died. ---
**Author:** ![PAUL\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5fc32e/32.png) [@PAUL\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PAUL_S)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/4 "2015-06-08T04:53:54Z")
Yes, I too was thinking of John Stonehouse, one-time British Govt. minister and a Cold War spy working for Czech Intelligence. See [John Stonehouse - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Stonehouse) He left a pile of clothes on a Miami beach to indicate his death in the sea and did a runner to Australia on a genuine UK passport in a false ID, having countersigned his own false application in his genuine capacity of Member of Parliament. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/5 "2015-06-08T06:54:16Z")
> [@zhorika](#): > > what about the case of John Stonehouse the last postmaster general, i know he may not have been as famous that side of the pond but in the UK for us old timers he did cause quite a scandal as the guardian newspaper put it twice born, twice died. He didn’t succeed, though. Maybe [Harold Holt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Holt)? He was only presumed dead - no body was found. As **spaceandtime** says, if it was successful no one would know about it. ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/6 "2015-06-08T14:18:29Z")
Certainly there should be examples where people tried it and got caught fairly quickly and there might be examples where people tried it and got away with it but we never know. How about in between? Do we have examples where someone tried it and got away with it for a very long time but then eventually got caught? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/7 "2015-06-08T17:02:41Z")
No mention of [Reggie Perrin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_and_Rise_of_Reginald_Perrin)? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/8 "2015-06-08T20:54:39Z")
Possibly [Lord Lucan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bingham,_7th_Earl_of_Lucan), but we can never really know. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/9 "2015-06-09T01:22:29Z")
I sometimes wonder about [Ken Lay](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Lay) myself. “Died” on vacation before he was going to be sentenced to 30 years. Supposedly broke, but he was vacationing in Snowmass, Colorado. Pronounced dead in the middle of the night, a fast autopsy, and cremation. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/10 "2015-06-09T02:35:25Z")
There are those who think Jim Morrison faked his death. Plus Elvis, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/11 "2015-06-09T03:48:14Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > There are those who think Jim Morrison faked his death. Plus Elvis, of course. And JFK! There was a great case here regarding a Thai couple, US citizens, who both faked their deaths for insurance purposes. How did they finally get caught? They finally got caught when their son’s wife videotaped them meeting the couple at Bangkok airport on a trip to Thailand. Story [here](http://articles.mcall.com/2001-01-12/news/3349948_1_faked-face-charges-allegedly). ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/12 "2015-06-09T04:57:34Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > There are those who think Jim Morrison faked his death. Plus Elvis, of course. And Tupac ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/13 "2015-06-10T19:16:38Z")
> [@diceman](#): > > there are those who think jim morrison faked his death. Plus elvis, of course. sssshhhhhhhhh!!! ---
**Author:** ![colurwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@colurwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colurwin)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/14 "2015-06-10T22:22:39Z")
Ettore Majorana? ---
**Author:** ![News1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e495f1/32.png) [@News1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/News1st)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/15 "2015-06-11T05:07:57Z")
I’ve got a long list Google Media Subversion List. If I posted them on here I’d probably get banned. But If You are an American Citizen, you’d better figure this out quick, because the Media has they wool pulled so far over your eyes, it ain’t legal or funny. Princess Diana’s death was faked by Dodi Fayed, the Executive Producer of FX, FX2, and was the Consultant on a Movie called Deep Cover. I Believe his crew is also involved in the Faked Injuries during the Boston Bombing. Diana is now on FOX News Atlanta on the Weekends, her new ID is Shannon Bream. Nicole Brown Simpson, famously Murdered during the Trial of the Century, the OJ Simpson Trial. She is also on FOX News during the Noon Hour and is now known as Megyn Kelly. She is a former prostitute from the Sacramento, Ca area. Her real name is Silvia Nast, and I dated her in the early 1990’s. Her and a friend, also a prostitute went to Las Vegas Nevada to work at a Cat House (Brothel) and best I can tell did return to Sacramento. Her friend is now on CNN and formerly had a field reporter job with NBC New York. I was even a Suspect because I had so many contacts with Girls that were Disappeared, Missing, Murdered or Dead. Only thing is, they are all alive, and the County Coroner’s Office is heavily involved in this stuff. All Illegal. Sacramento make New Orleans corruption look like child’s play. They’ve placed two sitting President’s, the First Lady, (Current), and a Justice on the Supreme Court. If You wanted the Straight Dope? You just got it. Take Care, Tracy Mapes ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/16 "2015-06-11T16:08:07Z")
Who is Tracy Mapes? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/17 "2015-06-11T16:52:03Z")
> [@News1st](#): > > I’ve got a long list Google Media Subversion List. If I posted them on here I’d probably get banned. But If You are an American Citizen, you’d better figure this out quick, because the Media has they wool pulled so far over your eyes, it ain’t legal or funny. > > Princess Diana’s death was faked by Dodi Fayed, the Executive Producer of FX, FX2, and was the Consultant on a Movie called Deep Cover. I Believe his crew is also involved in the Faked Injuries during the Boston Bombing. Diana is now on FOX News Atlanta on the Weekends, her new ID is Shannon Bream. > > Nicole Brown Simpson, famously Murdered during the Trial of the Century, the OJ Simpson Trial. She is also on FOX News during the Noon Hour and is now known as Megyn Kelly. She is a former prostitute from the Sacramento, Ca area. Her real name is Silvia Nast, and I dated her in the early 1990’s. Her and a friend, also a prostitute went to Las Vegas Nevada to work at a Cat House (Brothel) and best I can tell did return to Sacramento. Her friend is now on CNN and formerly had a field reporter job with NBC New York. > > I was even a Suspect because I had so many contacts with Girls that were Disappeared, Missing, Murdered or Dead. Only thing is, they are all alive, and the County Coroner’s Office is heavily involved in this stuff. All Illegal. Sacramento make New Orleans corruption look like child’s play. > > They’ve placed two sitting President’s, the First Lady, (Current), and a Justice on the Supreme Court. > > If You wanted the Straight Dope? You just got it. > > Take Care, Tracy Mapes That’s some serious tinfoil hat stuff right there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/18 "2015-06-11T17:04:47Z")
> [@News1st](#): > > I’ve got a long list Google Media Subversion List. If I posted them on here I’d probably get banned. But If You are an American Citizen, you’d better figure this out quick, because the Media has they wool pulled so far over your eyes, it ain’t legal or funny. > > Princess Diana’s death was faked by Dodi Fayed, the Executive Producer of FX, FX2, and was the Consultant on a Movie called Deep Cover. I Believe his crew is also involved in the Faked Injuries during the Boston Bombing. Diana is now on FOX News Atlanta on the Weekends, her new ID is Shannon Bream. > > Nicole Brown Simpson, famously Murdered during the Trial of the Century, the OJ Simpson Trial. She is also on FOX News during the Noon Hour and is now known as Megyn Kelly. She is a former prostitute from the Sacramento, Ca area. Her real name is Silvia Nast, and I dated her in the early 1990’s. Her and a friend, also a prostitute went to Las Vegas Nevada to work at a Cat House (Brothel) and best I can tell did return to Sacramento. Her friend is now on CNN and formerly had a field reporter job with NBC New York. > > I was even a Suspect because I had so many contacts with Girls that were Disappeared, Missing, Murdered or Dead. Only thing is, they are all alive, and the County Coroner’s Office is heavily involved in this stuff. All Illegal. Sacramento make New Orleans corruption look like child’s play. > > They’ve placed two sitting President’s, the First Lady, (Current), and a Justice on the Supreme Court. > > If You wanted the Straight Dope? You just got it. > > Take Care, Tracy Mapes Quick-Can you name five top level government officials that _aren’t_ involved in this vast conspiracy? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/19 "2015-06-11T21:16:14Z")
> [@News1st](#): > > I’ve got a long list Google Media Subversion List. If I posted them on here I’d probably get banned. But If You are an American Citizen, you’d better figure this out quick, because the Media has they wool pulled so far over your eyes, it ain’t legal or funny. > > Princess Diana’s death was faked by Dodi Fayed, the Executive Producer of FX, FX2, and was the Consultant on a Movie called Deep Cover. I Believe his crew is also involved in the Faked Injuries during the Boston Bombing. Diana is now on FOX News Atlanta on the Weekends, her new ID is Shannon Bream. > > Nicole Brown Simpson, famously Murdered during the Trial of the Century, the OJ Simpson Trial. She is also on FOX News during the Noon Hour and is now known as Megyn Kelly. She is a former prostitute from the Sacramento, Ca area. Her real name is Silvia Nast, and I dated her in the early 1990’s. Her and a friend, also a prostitute went to Las Vegas Nevada to work at a Cat House (Brothel) and best I can tell did return to Sacramento. Her friend is now on CNN and formerly had a field reporter job with NBC New York. Doesn’t that mean the alleged victims _ **are** _ the Media ? Wow, mind-blowing ! ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743/20 "2015-06-18T22:48:17Z")
It makes sense because the best place to hide someone famous who has a new identity is as a television news anchor. Powers &8^] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-own-death/721743.md?page=2)