There may not be any crime story more captivating than when someone goes missing. The allure of mystery is increased considerably, however, when the disappeared party is sitting on a pile of money. Sometimes, the mega-rich beat it out of town when they discover—to their surprise—that the law applies to them as well. Others wind up suspected suicides, or murdered. Some seem to simply go bonkers. Whatever the circumstances, fat of wallet and fleet of foot, the missing mega-rich will always have our attention.
It’s all almost too good to be true. A tech genius known for his virus-protection software becomes a “person of interest”—but not a suspect—after his neighbor winds up dead. That man then disappears into the lush green landscape of Belize, taking to various Internet platforms, including a blog and Twitter, to keep the entire world updated about his time on the run, as well as his sexual exploits and distaste for the government. It’s all one big prank, John McAfee has said, but we’re willing to bet that the still-unfolding farce will soon make its way to theaters near you.
Sofia Munoz / AP Photo
Too bad the name didn’t tip anybody off. Eddie Antar, at right in photo, was known as a Brooklyn businessman who built up a retail electronics chain called Crazy Eddie that operated outlets through the greater New York area through the ’70s and ’80s. Maybe Antar put too much of himself into the business over the years, but things really started to heat up after he became involved in what one U.S. attorney later called “a staggering securities fraud.” Antar skipped out of the United States in February 1990, and evaded the police until he was arrested in Israel two years later.
Mike Derer / AP Photo
The globe-trotting millionaire adventurer went missing while piloting his own plane in Nevada in 2007. Repeated searches were mounted for Fossett, who some speculated might have faked his own death. Others thought that the man who circumnavigated the globe solo in 2002 might have held out for a while in the wild. Fossett was declared legally dead on Feb. 15, 2008, after wife Peggy Viehland Fossett petitioned the court. In November of 2008, bones found near where Fossett’s plane crashed were confirmed to be those of the missing millionaire.
Jeff Cooper / AP Photo
Mexico’s most wanted man, this fugitive drug lord heads up the Sinaloa Cartel, and was labeled “the most powerful drug trafficker in the world” by the U.S. Treasury Department. That hasn’t slowed Guzman down, however, and he’s managed to make enough money while on the lam to get himself on the Forbes list of the richest people in the world. The kingpin’s cash pile is thought to total around $1 billion.
Gerardo Magallon / AFP / Getty Images
Durst, whose family’s fortune was valued at around $2 billion, has a reputation for cross-dressing—and a history of strange behavior when dead bodies are involved. After moving to Texas in 2001, Durst was declared a fugitive after failing to show up at a court hearing regarding his neighbor, who had been found in pieces in Galveston Bay. Durst was ultimately arrested and taken back to Texas to stand trial, where he was acquitted. Durst also waited several days to notify police after his wife, Kathie Durst, went missing in 1982. She has never been found.
Pat Sullivan / AP Photo
The tale of this missing aristocrat, shown here at his wedding in 1963, continues to fascinate four decades after he disappeared. Lucan vanished from the United Kingdom in 1974, when Sandra Rivett, his children’s nanny, was found murdered in his London home. Some thought that the man may have killed himself by intentionally sinking his boat in the English Channel. The country’s High Court declared Lucan deceased in 1999, but evidence emerged in February 2012 suggesting that the elusive blue blood was in fact still alive, and hiding out in Africa.
Douglas Miller / Keystone / Getty Images
A Brazilian-born, Jewish-American millionaire, Guma Aguiar disappeared after taking his fishing boat out on stormy seas off Florida in June 2012. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since. A family feud soon erupted around his estimated $100 million fortune, which Aguiar made while developing a Texas natural gas find with his uncle. The sudden and unexplained disappearance of the energetic and athletic 35-year-old has kept everyone guessing, with some speculations ranging from suicide to accidental death. Most recently, Aguiar’s wife’s attorney said that there were signs the man might be hiding out in the Netherlands.
Tara Todras-Whitehill / AP Photo
