How should my Greek heiress fake her own death? Story advice please

[Sateema Lunasi]

In the story I am working on, a Greek heiress testified against her billionaire father convicting him of the murder of her mother. Years later, he dies and in his will, leaves a hit contract: anyone who can prove to his cronies that they are responsible for his daughter's death gets $20 million. It is released in the news and so the whole world is a danger.

So an obvious solution is to have her fake her death. If I go this way, how does she fake her death and prove it is her? Any advice?

 

[Weird Harold]

So an obvious solution is to have her fake her death. If I go this way, how does she fake her death and prove it is her? Any advice?

Assuming your story is set in a time frame that allows for DNA analysis, it would require large quantities of her own blood to convince authorities she couldn't be alive without a body being found.

So, lots of blood, a bloody knife, signs of a struggle and a big explosion to vaporize the "body" so nobody goes looking for it should provide a pretty convincing death.

A nice twist would be for her to collect the bounty when she disappears.

 

[Sateema Lunasi]

Yeah, that would work. I don't have her getting the bounty though. I thought about that one and figured she wouldn't take the risk. She doesn't need it. Still a good twist though.

Thanks for your help. Now I have to figure out how to get a large amount of her blood at the murder site. Perhaps her friend works at a blood bank Syringe anyone?

 

[Weird Harold]

Yeah, that would work. I don't have her getting the bounty though. I thought about that one and figured she wouldn't take the risk. She doesn't need it. Still a good twist though.

Thanks for your help. Now I have to figure out how to get a large amount of her blood at the murder site. Perhaps her friend works at a blood bank Syringe anyone?

If she doesn't need $20M, then she probably has the resources to either hire a nurse to collect a few bags of blood over a month or so, or take a first aid course an learn to do it herself.

Getting the equipment should be fairly easy, either on the black market or through a blind agent.

 

[HomerPindar]

Yeah, that would work. I don't have her getting the bounty though. I thought about that one and figured she wouldn't take the risk. She doesn't need it. Still a good twist though.

Thanks for your help. Now I have to figure out how to get a large amount of her blood at the murder site. Perhaps her friend works at a blood bank Syringe anyone?

Correction, you don't need a large supply of HER blood, you need a large supply of blood recorded as HER's. Records are easier to change, seeing as so many of them are computerized, she wouldn't even have to enter the morgue. Just convince the records that the blood of X is her's...

Now...is she willing to kill someone to cover her own behind?

Another question, how likely is it to be that international media would be willing to advertise a hit the way you described it? It seems awefully likely to leave any media liable in any court of conspiracy to murder, or accessory to murder.

 

[Weird Harold]

Correction, you don't need a large supply of HER blood, you need a large supply of blood recorded as HER's. Records are easier to change, seeing as so many of them are computerized, she wouldn't even have to enter the morgue.

That's why I qualified my suggestion with whether DNA matching would be possible or likely -- it doesn't depend on records it depends on relatives or known samples like hair from her hairbrush, or other traces that can be found almost anywhere.

If DNA testing is involved, it just about HAS to be hers because there are very few DNA databases established for identification purposes yet.

Several pints of blood strewn about the "crime" scene would be irrefutable "proof" that she was dead. It's really a sledgehammer approach though. A less messy set of circumstantial evidence wouldn't remove all doubt.

Re: the reward.

Major news organizations have reported such things in the past, I don't see what would keep them from reporting a post-humous hit now.

She's going to need an accomplis or two. If her "death is messy enough to be convincing, then the reward needs to be claimed or suspicions will be raised among the "cronies" why someone would kill her and not claim $20 mil.

 

[peterpan]

I guess a problem is that we have thought of her dropping copious amounts of blood, so will they.

Really they need a severed head or something. Then they would need someone to identify it as definitely her.

..I guess an assumption of this story is that she is too nice to look for someone that looks just like her. maybe she just HAPPENS to have a braindead twin

When twenty million is involved, almost any evidence is suspect.

The only truely convincing way to fake her death that I can imagine is to get to the key person that is in charge of deciding wether she is dead or not. bribe or blackmail, or outwit them mentally. Knowing all evidence can be faked, they may latch on one actually silly test that they think noone, especially not the woman, would have thought of.

..well now that I have done the hard work, I will leave the details to you

Would not the reward money have been impounded? I guess there are ways around this but they have to be explained.

 

[peterpan]

Oooh!

Her handsome doctor friend (there is always one) aranges that she can LOOK dead while the villain that is able to make a decision examines the body.

I think that if you cool someone down enough they can actually last twenty minutes without breathing. I don't know if the heart beat can be off all that time or maybe it is slowed. Also you would expect her to be cool if she has been in the mourge for a few days.

This also has the suspense element. So much that can go wrong, and she must put herself right in the enermies hands... which also provides for icky pseudonecrophiliac molestations. But maybe it isn't that kind of tale.

This could be coupled with all the other stuff, eg the blood at the scene, so the thug is already pretty convinced, and thinks the doctor is just a bored clerk or intern etc.

 

[Sateema Lunasi]

You guys rock.

Things are coming together nicely now. Thanks.

Oh, about the news reporting a hit contract; I was inspired for the story by a real life Greek heiress whose family member (I don't remember which one) put a hit contract on her. It was all over the news in Europe, and the heiress was only eight years old. Sick, huh? So basically, reporters and the media are vultures and will report anything juicy.

 

[MysteryWriter]

death and the maiden

I always like the exploding yaught

 

[karmadog]

The Money

Somebody mentioned that the reward money must be collected or suspicions might be raised. This is true if she is murdered.

You mentioned that she did not need the money, but she will. Her money would surely be awarded to someone upon her death. If she leaves it to a family member who is a stranger (herself under another identity) it would be suspicious. So she will have to leave the money to someone known to her father's cronies. Presumably family.

What you are left with is that she must die, leaving her money to someone in her shitty family, but then collect the 20 mil. Ideally, the 20 mil. would be much more than she had before her own "death".

I think one way to avoid the blood problem would be to have the "killer" do away with her while one of the cronies watches from a distance. Perhaps someone who had a secret grudge against the father. The crony would not want to risk being caught, but he will have certain confirmation. Perhaps he could shoot her. This way you can avoid the need for large amounts of blood. Avery small amount of blood is needed for DNA testing.

 

[Catesby]

How about a snuff movie killing?

She hires special FX guys to make it look realistically as though she's had her head cut off. She then gets someone to bring along a decomposed head a la Alfredo Garcia along with a videotape of her getting snuffed to said cronies of her dear departed father.

Everyone's happy.

 

[Sateema Lunasi]

Well, the solution you speak of, Catesby is not a snuff film. A snuff film is a film recorded of a simulated (and in some rare and disgusting cases) real death that is filmed with the idea of sexualizing it in mind. The films usually involve asphixiation and plastic bags or seran wrap is most often used over the actor/victim's face so the viewer can see their distress. (Don't freak out. I only know this because I worked in a forensics lab for a while...sick shit)

It is a good idea for the story though. I might not have the "killer" bring in a head though. But perhaps the heroine of the story cuts off a finger to donate to the cause...

 

[deliciously_naughty]

I'm a big fan of the car accident death...it's an easy out....and since she's rich she will want plastic surgery. No use having her fake her own death only to be recognized later.