Post by Admin on May 6, 2012 12:21:13 GMT -5
A death hoax involves falsely reporting the death of someone still living. This kind of hoax has been a favorite of pranksters for centuries. Early practitioners of it included Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Swift.
The most famous death hoax of all time was the “Paul is dead” rumor of 1968, in which the claim that Paul McCartney of the Beatles had died swept throughout America and Great Britain.
In recent years, hoaxes alleging that various celebrities have died have become a frequent fixture in the news. Much of the reason for the popularity of this hoax can be attributed to the internet, which has made such hoaxes easier to perpetrate. A would-be hoaxer simply has to produce an email or webpage that imitates the look of a credible news source. Concerned fans will then forward the fake news story to their friends, inadvertently giving the hoax greater visibility.
Some journalists have noted that, ironically, being the target of such a prank has become a mark of status in our celebrity culture. Michael Heaton of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that, “It is the zenith of cultural obsession to have false rumors of someone’s death spread like goose grease across the land.”
Below is a list of some recent death hoaxes.
While Schrenker's attempt to convince the world of his death is more creative than most, dozens of people fake their deaths each year.
A New Mexico man named Steven Garcia, facing charges of kidnapping and beating his pregnant girlfriend, disappeared in October 2006. When police went searching for him, they found a note from Garcia saying that he was going to kill himself and hire a homeless man to bury him. The police didn't believe that for a minute, and arrested Garcia in Mexico six months later.
On Aug. 30, 2006, a Colorado man returning from a hike in Eldorado Canyon State Park reported that his friend, Lance Hering, had been injured. Rescue crews were dispatched, but there was no sign of Hering other than blood, a water bottle, and his shoes. Hering was believed to have wandered off and died, but his body was never found — until 2008, when he was arrested with his father at an airport in Washington state. Hering, a Marine, claimed he faked his death to avoid returning to Iraq, where he feared other soldiers would kill him because of something incriminating he had witnessed.
In New Port Richey, Florida, a woman named Alison Matera told her friends, family, and church choir that she had cancer, and only months to live. She went into hospice, and soon the community was notified of her death. Yet Matera was quite alive; her plan unraveled when she appeared at her own funeral service, claiming to be her own long-lost identical twin sister. She was recognized, and when police were called she admitted to faking both her cancer and death.
People fake their deaths for many reasons. Most often it is done to escape legal or financial troubles, an extreme measure designed to get a fresh start and make a clean break. Other times the "victim" just wants to be alone, to get away from daily hassles, pressures, and obligations. Some people do it for life insurance fraud; others, like Alison Matera, apparently sought posthumous attention and recognition.
If Marcus Schrenker is convicted, he can take some consolation that his elaborate plane-ditching drama will likely make a sensational made for TV movie.
Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.
The most famous death hoax of all time was the “Paul is dead” rumor of 1968, in which the claim that Paul McCartney of the Beatles had died swept throughout America and Great Britain.
In recent years, hoaxes alleging that various celebrities have died have become a frequent fixture in the news. Much of the reason for the popularity of this hoax can be attributed to the internet, which has made such hoaxes easier to perpetrate. A would-be hoaxer simply has to produce an email or webpage that imitates the look of a credible news source. Concerned fans will then forward the fake news story to their friends, inadvertently giving the hoax greater visibility.
Some journalists have noted that, ironically, being the target of such a prank has become a mark of status in our celebrity culture. Michael Heaton of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that, “It is the zenith of cultural obsession to have false rumors of someone’s death spread like goose grease across the land.”
Below is a list of some recent death hoaxes.
While Schrenker's attempt to convince the world of his death is more creative than most, dozens of people fake their deaths each year.
A New Mexico man named Steven Garcia, facing charges of kidnapping and beating his pregnant girlfriend, disappeared in October 2006. When police went searching for him, they found a note from Garcia saying that he was going to kill himself and hire a homeless man to bury him. The police didn't believe that for a minute, and arrested Garcia in Mexico six months later.
On Aug. 30, 2006, a Colorado man returning from a hike in Eldorado Canyon State Park reported that his friend, Lance Hering, had been injured. Rescue crews were dispatched, but there was no sign of Hering other than blood, a water bottle, and his shoes. Hering was believed to have wandered off and died, but his body was never found — until 2008, when he was arrested with his father at an airport in Washington state. Hering, a Marine, claimed he faked his death to avoid returning to Iraq, where he feared other soldiers would kill him because of something incriminating he had witnessed.
In New Port Richey, Florida, a woman named Alison Matera told her friends, family, and church choir that she had cancer, and only months to live. She went into hospice, and soon the community was notified of her death. Yet Matera was quite alive; her plan unraveled when she appeared at her own funeral service, claiming to be her own long-lost identical twin sister. She was recognized, and when police were called she admitted to faking both her cancer and death.
People fake their deaths for many reasons. Most often it is done to escape legal or financial troubles, an extreme measure designed to get a fresh start and make a clean break. Other times the "victim" just wants to be alone, to get away from daily hassles, pressures, and obligations. Some people do it for life insurance fraud; others, like Alison Matera, apparently sought posthumous attention and recognition.
If Marcus Schrenker is convicted, he can take some consolation that his elaborate plane-ditching drama will likely make a sensational made for TV movie.
Benjamin Radford is managing editor of the Skeptical Inquirer science magazine. His books, films, and other projects can be found on his website. His Bad Science column appears regularly on LiveScience.