List of pseudocides

A pseudocide is a person who fakes his or her own death. The following is a list of some notable pseudocides.

* John Stonehouse, a British politician who faked his own suicide by drowning in order to escape financial difficulties and live with his mistress. He was discovered in Australia - where police initially thought he might be Lord Lucan - and jailed.
* Graham Cardwell, a Lincolnshire dockmaster who disappeared in September 1998 and was assumed drowned. Eight months later he was discovered living in secret in the West Midlands. He claimed he had thought he was suffering from cancer (though had not sought medical attention) and wanted to spare his family the trauma of it. He was not prosecuted.
* Alan Kirk Wolford, an American funeral home director who forged his own death certificate in order to evade significant debts. [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20060413/ai_n16171117 "Colorado Springs Gazette" article on Alan Wolford] ]
* Steven Chin Leung, who faked his death in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in order to evade a charge of passport fraud. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2513451.stm BBC story on Steven Leung] ]
* Dorothy Johnson, an American woman who allegedly faked her death in the September 11 attacks in order to collect on insurance claims allegedly filed by her daughter, Twila McKee. Johnson and McKee were charged in 2003 with insurance fraud. [ [http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=1420225&nav=51s7HhJJ WBAY story on the McKee case] ]
* Ken Kesey, an American author who in 1966 faked his death and fled to Mexico in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid imprisonment on marijuana charges. ["The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test", by Tom Wolfe]
*John Darwin, a Briton who disappeared in March 2002 whilst canoeing and was assumed drowned.

References