Five Years After John McAfee's Death: Janice McAfee Still Seeks Answers

In the years following her husband’s death in a Barcelona prison, Janice McAfee has found herself trapped between grief and uncertainty. The widow of cryptocurrency advocate and antivirus pioneer John McAfee continues to live in an undisclosed location in Spain, supporting herself through temporary work while waiting for answers that authorities seem reluctant to provide. Despite a Catalan court ruling in 2023 that determined John’s death was suicide, Janice remains unconvinced—and desperate to understand what really happened.

“For nearly five years, I haven’t just mourned the loss of my husband,” Janice explained in an exclusive interview. “The hardest part is that I still don’t know the truth. The authorities have blocked my access to the autopsy results, and I don’t have the resources to commission an independent examination.”

The Mystery of a $100 Million Fortune That Vanished

When John stepped away from the McAfee antivirus company in 1994 after selling his stake, he was worth over $100 million. Yet by the time of his death, official estimates placed his wealth at just $4 million—a dramatic decline that raised questions about where the money had gone.

The financial puzzle deepened when John claimed in 2019 that he had no funds to pay a $25 million court judgment from a wrongful death lawsuit. However, when arrested on U.S. tax evasion charges the following year, authorities alleged he and associates had earned $11 million promoting cryptocurrencies. From his cell, John posted messages to his Twitter followers insisting he had nothing hidden: “I don’t have anything. But I have no regrets.”

According to Janice, her husband left no will and no estate. She had no expectation of inheriting anything, especially given the U.S. judgment against him. John had spoken cryptically about secret collections and documents, but deliberately kept his wife uninformed—supposedly to protect her from danger.

Medical Inconsistencies in His Death

What troubles Janice most isn’t just the lack of autopsy access, but the circumstances surrounding how her husband was found. “When they discovered John in his cell with a ligature around his neck, he still had a pulse and was breathing,” she recounted. “The jail reports confirmed he was alive when found. Yet I’m told the doctors didn’t remove the obstruction before attempting CPR.”

Having trained as a certified nursing assistant, Janice knows that clearing an airway is protocol—not a secondary step. “Even in the movies, the first thing you do is clear the obstruction,” she said. “I don’t know if it was negligence, incompetence, or something more sinister. But something about the chain of events doesn’t make sense.”

The €30,000 price tag for an independent autopsy has become the barrier between Janice and potential answers. Once she had the funds; now she struggles with freelance work to survive. The money, she insists, would be worth sacrificing her own stability.

Fighting for Truth While Rebuilding a Life

After John’s death, Janice feared becoming a target herself. Though John had assured her that authorities were after him, not her, the uncertainty kept her awake at night. “He made public 31 terabytes of information, but he never told me where it was or even if it really existed,” she said. “He was protecting me from danger, and I respect that. But now I’m left without answers.”

Today, Janice has found some peace in isolation. With nothing to hide and no secrets to protect, she feels safer. Yet that safety is hollow without understanding what happened to her husband.

“I’m not asking for justice—there’s no justice on this earth anymore,” she said quietly. “I just want to know the truth. I want to see my husband’s body with my own eyes. I want his wish for cremation to be honored. And maybe then I can finally move forward.”

Netflix’s Version vs. the Real Story

In 2023, Netflix released “Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee,” a documentary that portrayed both John and Janice as fugitives living on the margins. While the film generated interest, Janice questions whether it captured the real story—or whether it simply amplified sensationalism.

“People forget quickly, and I understand why the world moves fast,” she reflected. “I just hope John is remembered accurately. That’s the least he deserves.”

Her determination to recover his body and honor his final wishes remains unchanged. Every day without answers is another day Janice carries the weight of not knowing. The world has largely moved on from John McAfee’s story, but for his widow, the search for truth continues—one odd job, one day, one unanswered question at a time.