- Is a half-year jail sentence worth faking your death? This man thought so.
Life can get so difficult that it makes you feel like faking your death and running away from it all. Maybe you’re stuck in a horrible relationship, struggling with insurmountable financial problems, or facing another kind of life-changing calamity.
That, or you just can’t help getting behind the wheel drunk, like this Chinese man.
A while back, a man with the last name Si got pulled over for DUI one too many times. Due to his earlier violations, he was unlikely to get away with a fine and was facing a short jail sentence.
That didn’t suit Si’s plans at all. So, he did the logical thing and decided to die – at least on paper.
Si staged an elaborate charade of perishing from a drug overdose. He even managed to get his family in on the plan, as they held a mock funeral for him.
However, there was something fishy about Si’s hasty funeral, and the cops kept monitoring him. Sure enough, somebody kept withdrawing money from Si’s bank account in his name.
Matching the payment information to surveillance camera footage, the police concluded Si was very much alive and on the run. They swooped down to this hiding hole, picked him up, and took him to court.
Now, Si is facing an even harsher penalty for his escapades. Not only that, but his family, too, have been charged with crimes.
If only he’d just gotten a cab after the bar.
Repeat DUI Offender
The events that led to Si’s legal issues happened already back in the beginning of 2025. However, China’s police aren’t exactly famous for their openness, and the strange death-faking incident was only recently made public.
In January 2025, the police pulled over Si as he was driving erratically in the northeastern Chinese city of Anyang. They gave him the breathalyzer, and, sure enough, Si was driving under the influence.
To make matters worse, Si had no valid driver’s license. Checking their records, the police discovered that Si had two previous drunk driving violations, for which he’d lost his driver’s permit.
In China, drunk driving laws operate on a strike system (unless you’re egregiously wasted or cause significant damage). With this being Si’s third strike, he was now potentially facing a one- to six-month stint behind bars.
He didn’t like the thought of going to jail at all. After he was released on bail pending an investigation, Si decided it was time to evade the law by dying.
Not by committing suicide, mind you. Instead, Si drafted his family into a complex plot to fake his death.
Time to Die
In June 2025, Si purchased a coffin for his upcoming funeral. He then set the stage to make it look like he’d died from a drug overdose.
Si reportedly scattered empty pill bottles all over his home to make it seem like he’d taken a fatal dose. He then cooled down his body temperature using chilling equipment and laid down on the floor.
Discovering his “corpse,” Si’s mother and grandmother were heartbroken and struck with grief. They went to their neighbors, wailing about how Si had died, and dragged them over to see his body.
However, the faces of living people really don’t look dead unless they’re… Well, dead. Si’s family had therefore covered his face with a black cloth, saying that his death grimace was so distorted that they didn’t want to see it.
With his death now well established, Si’s mother and grandmother stuffed his body in the coffin and buried it. During his funeral, however, Si slipped out and headed for the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.
One Active Cadaver
The family informed the police of Si’s passing the next day, saying that he was no longer able to be judged by mortal authorities. The cops, however, raised their eyebrows in suspicion.
Si’s death had been a strangely brief affair. After supposedly finding his body, the family hadn’t even thought of getting Si to a doctor, which seemed odd.
Consequently, there was no official death certificate. When questioned, the neighbors said they’d seen Si’s supposed body but also confirmed that they never saw his face. They had also not taken a close look to see if Si really was dead, because why would they have?
And then there was the coffin. What kind of person buys a coffin for themselves conveniently in advance of needing it?
What’s more, Si’s house was still in his name and in good standing. Something didn’t add up, so the police started sleuthing.
They examined Si’s bank transaction info and phone records. Si was certainly withdrawing more money and making more calls than dead people usually do.
Of course, someone else could’ve accessed the supposedly dead man’s accounts. To confirm the situation, the cops acquired surveillance footage from places where Si had spent money (which wasn’t very difficult, considering this is China).
Well, what do you know? Surveillance videos showed that Si was happily shopping in Yunnan.
It was a miracle! He’d come back to life!
Mom’s in Trouble Now
Having established that Si was not as dead as he claimed to be, the Henan province police informed their counterparts in Yunnan of his actions. In April this year, Yunnan police arrested Si and sent him back north, still very much alive.
In May, Si faced the courts. He was sentenced to five months in prison and fined 20,000 yuan (about $3,000).
Frankly, he probably could’ve gotten a much harsher sentence. However, he’ll have to deal with the fact that he also got his family in hot water.
In June, police in Henan launched a criminal investigation into Si’s mother and grandmother. The two women stand accused of harboring and shielding a known criminal offender.
It will be one awkward family reunion once Si gets out of prison.
Faking your death seems to be a weirdly common plot around the world. Read the strange stories about the Wisconsin man who faked his death to run from his family, the guy whose faked death was thwarted by a typo, or the man who arrived to his own funeral on a helicopter.