John McAfee's Wife Faces Uncertain Future: Janice Seeks Truth About Her Husband's Death

Janice McAfee, the widow of cryptocurrency pioneer and antivirus software founder John McAfee, remains in limbo more than two years after his death in a Barcelona prison in 2023. While a Catalan court officially ruled in September that he died by suicide—effectively closing the case—Janice refuses to accept this conclusion without examining the evidence herself. Still living in an undisclosed location in Spain, she survives on freelance work and odd jobs, struggling to make ends meet while pursuing answers about what really happened to her husband.

“For more than two years, I’ve had to cope with John’s death while fighting to access basic information,” Janice explained in an exclusive interview. “The authorities won’t release the autopsy results, and an independent examination would cost €30,000—money I simply don’t have. I just want to see his body and understand what actually happened.”

The Mystery Surrounding John McAfee’s Death

Despite the official ruling, significant questions linger about the circumstances of John McAfee’s death in the Spanish prison cell. Janice maintains ongoing contact with people worldwide who share her doubts about the suicide conclusion. The couple spoke daily after his imprisonment near Barcelona, making his apparent self-inflicted death feel incomprehensible to her.

Janice has raised troubling details about the recovery efforts. According to her account, guards found John alive with a weak pulse and visible breathing. Yet when she reviewed prison footage, she noticed that medical personnel appeared to attempt CPR without first removing the ligature around his neck—a basic protocol that any trained responder would follow.

“I trained as a certified nursing assistant, and I know CPR procedures,” she said. “The first step is always to clear the airway. If something is around someone’s neck, you remove it immediately. But that didn’t happen in the footage. Whether it was negligence or something more troubling, I can’t say for certain—but it raises serious questions.”

The Mystery of a $100 Million Fortune

When John McAfee resigned from his antivirus company in 1994 and sold his shares, his net worth exceeded $100 million. By the time of his death, however, Celebrity Net Worth estimated his wealth had plummeted to $4 million. The dramatic decline raises questions about where the money went.

In 2019, John claimed he had no assets and couldn’t pay a $25 million settlement from a wrongful death lawsuit. The following year, U.S. authorities arrested him on tax evasion charges, alleging he and associates made $11 million from promoting cryptocurrencies without declaring the income. While imprisoned, he posted messages to his Twitter followers claiming he had no hidden cryptocurrency holdings.

Janice inherits nothing from this collapsed fortune. John left no will or estate, and U.S. court judgments complicate any financial claims she might pursue. According to her, John deliberately kept her in the dark about his wealth and potential hidden assets to protect her from becoming a target for dangerous actors seeking his legendary collection of documents and data.

“He always assured me he wouldn’t tell me anything that could endanger me,” Janice explained. “He released 31 terabytes of information publicly, but he never shared those files with me. I don’t know where they are or if they truly existed. In some ways, that protection was a comfort, but now I’m left with nothing and no answers.”

An Unexpected Friendship with John McAfee

The interviewer’s connection to John and Janice McAfee dates back to 2018 at a blockchain conference in Malta. Despite the chaotic energy of the crypto world at that time, meeting them left an impression. John was composed and sharp even after drinking whiskey, while Janice projected a calm, collected presence reminiscent of her protective demeanor throughout his life.

A chance encounter led to an invitation to John’s penthouse suite, where the interviewer convinced security to grant access. John warmly greeted his new acquaintance: “You again, my goodness!” Later that evening, they joined him on his private yacht in Valletta Harbour. The friendship deepened over time, particularly because the interviewer was among the few who didn’t smoke—a detail John apparently appreciated.

Years later, when John was living incognito on an island off North Carolina while evading authorities, they remained in contact. During the pandemic, the interviewer conducted several podcast interviews with him. When reaching out to Janice about participating in this exclusive interview, she agreed immediately, noting that John had always considered the interviewer a friend.

Safety Concerns and Living in Hiding

After John’s arrest and imprisonment, Janice feared for her safety despite his reassurances that authorities were only targeting him. She worried about becoming a target for others seeking revenge or access to his alleged intelligence collection.

“John told me the authorities weren’t interested in me—only in him,” she said. “That gave me some comfort. But I was still afraid. However, I feel safer now because I have nothing to hide. I don’t know exactly how John died, let alone what information he possessed. If I knew what they were looking for, maybe I’d understand the danger better.”

Her decision to remain in Spain rather than return to the United States reflects the uncertainty about her legal status and safety. Technically a U.S. citizen, Janice recognizes that returning home without clarity about her situation could expose her to additional complications.

Netflix Documentary Fails to Tell the Real Story, Says Janice

In 2022, Netflix released “Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee,” a documentary that portrayed both John and Janice as fugitives. Janice disputes this characterization, arguing the filmmakers prioritized sensationalism over accuracy.

“The documentary tells more about the filmmakers themselves than about John,” she said. “They created a narrative around a public figure through exaggeration and selective storytelling. They missed the real story—why John was willing to live as a fugitive and why I stayed with him. That’s what actually mattered.”

Janice expressed frustration that public memory fades quickly, particularly with the rapid pace of modern news cycles. “People forget so easily, and I understand why. But I hope John is remembered truthfully. That’s the least he deserves after everything he endured.”

Fulfilling John McAfee’s Final Wish: The Quest for Closure

Despite the Catalan court’s ruling, Janice remains determined to achieve closure on her own terms. One remaining wish: to honor John’s explicit request that if he died, his body should be cremated. However, his remains still sit in the prison morgue where he died.

“I had the money for an independent autopsy two years ago,” she explained. “I still had money a year ago. Now I don’t. I’ve been supporting myself through whatever work I can find, but my priority has always been John—not myself. I wasn’t the victim; John was.”

The cost of an independent autopsy—€30,000—remains beyond her current financial reach. Yet she remains hopeful that pursuing the truth publicly might inspire others to help or provide answers.

“I’m not seeking revenge or justice against the Spanish authorities,” she clarified. “I just want to understand what happened to my husband and fulfill his final wishes. I don’t expect perfect justice—there’s no such thing anymore. I just want answers and the chance to cremate John so we can both move forward.”

Janice McAfee’s fight for truth represents a widow’s determination to reclaim agency in her grief. Whether the autopsy report will ever be released remains uncertain, but her commitment to seeking answers about John’s death—and to honoring his memory—continues undiminished.