In China, a man faked his own death to avoid a trial for drunk driving
In the Chinese province of Henan, a man who was to be prosecuted for drunk driving decided to fake his own death. In this way, he attempted to avoid trial and flee to the south of the country.
The suspect tried to convince those around him that he had died, but his plan ultimately failed. His unusual escape was an attempt to avoid punishment for breaking the law.
The incident occurred some time ago, but law enforcement agencies only recently made the information public. In January 2025, a man surnamed Xi was arrested for driving under the influence. Since this was not his first such offense—and he had already been fined twice—he feared the punishment the court might impose.
Under Chinese law, drunk driving can be punishable by revocation of a driver’s license, imprisonment for up to six months, and a fine. Fearing that he might actually be imprisoned this time, Xi, after being released on bail, decided to stage his own death.
He carried out his plan in June 2025, with the help of his family. For the “stunt,” they purchased a coffin and staged a fatal overdose: Si scattered empty medicine bottles throughout the house, held his breath, and used special equipment to cool his body.
When law enforcement learned of this, they went to Si’s house but never found the “body” because the coffin had allegedly already been buried. The police became suspicious that no one had called for help and that the coffin had been purchased in advance.
Investigations revealed that there was no death certificate from the hospital, nor was there a cremation report or any other documentary evidence of Si’s death. Relatives and villagers said that his face had remained covered, and only his mother and grandmother had seen his body. The police concluded that Si was alive and began searching for him.
He was found in April of this year and, a month later, was sentenced to five months of detention and a fine of 20,000 yuan ($3,000).
On June 11, the police launched a criminal investigation into his mother and grandmother on suspicion of harboring a criminal.
This was reported by the South China Morning Post.
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