Unsolved: These crypto leaders died and no one knows why

Fans of true crime have as much unsolved material to investigate in crypto as in virtually any other industry. Unlike cash or bank transfers, crypto allows payment of millions of dollars within seconds and this instant and irreversible settlement of nearly unlimited sums of money makes it a perfect tool for foul play.

The massive sums of money in play also go hand-in-hand with extravagant lifestyles, risky travel, drugs, and various poor life decisions.

As a result, it’s not entirely surprising that there have been a number of high-profile deaths over the past 15 years.

Unsolved deaths of crypto leaders

Perhaps the most famous crypto disappearance is John McAfee, the creator of the popular McAfee Antivirus freemium software used on hundreds of millions of computers. After exiting that software company, McAfee became a crypto promoter and drug-addicted globe-trotter.

The tech mogul-turned-crypto bro ended up blowing most of his $100 million fortune, dying in an apparent suicide in a Spanish prison with just a few million left. However, his death remains a mystery to this day for two simple reasons.

First, it was well-known that McAfee held substantial sums of money on hardware crypto wallets while facing numerous civil lawsuits, providing a motive for faking his own death. Second, he tweeted a few weeks before his death, “Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine.”

The next most famous death in crypto history is probably Gerald Cotten, the founder of Canada’s once-largest crypto exchange, Quadriga CX. After stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from customers, Cotten’s wife claims that he died in India without giving anyone the private keys to those funds.

The declaration of his death for medical reasons is curious not only for its exotic locale but also because Cotten’s QuadrigaCX bitcoin moved after his supposed death. Documentarians chronicled his career and skepticism over his death in the Netflix movie The Crypto King.