A new Netflix documentary has reignited one of the most sensational theories surrounding John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer and longtime cryptocurrency personality: that he may still be alive. In “Running with the Devil: The Wild World of John McAfee,” McAfee’s former girlfriend Samantha Herrera claims that he contacted her after his reported death and said he had paid people to make it appear that he was dead.
The allegation, dramatic even by McAfee standards, has quickly drawn attention because of the mystery that has surrounded his final days, his death in Spanish custody, and the long-running legal battle over an independent autopsy. At the same time, neither the documentary’s director nor McAfee’s widow has endorsed the claim as credible, leaving the story in the realm of speculation rather than verification.
A bold claim from McAfee’s former girlfriend
According to reporting on the documentary, Herrera says McAfee called her from Texas roughly two weeks after news broke of his death. In the film, she is quoted as saying that the person on the line told her: “It’s me, John. I paid off people to pretend that I am dead, but I am not dead.” She also says he told her that only three people in the world know he is still alive.
If true, the claim would amount to one of the most extraordinary disappearances involving a high-profile tech and crypto figure. But as presented publicly, the allegation stands alone and has not been supported by documentary evidence, public records, or independent confirmation. Media attempts to reach Herrera for follow-up comment reportedly did not produce a response.
That lack of corroboration matters. McAfee was a deeply polarizing public figure whose life involved allegations, legal battles, political ambitions, self-mythologizing, and years of globe-spanning controversy. Any major claim about his supposed survival would likely require a high evidentiary bar, especially given the international legal and medical scrutiny that followed his death.
The documentary director sounds unconvinced
One of the more telling reactions has come from Charlie Russell, the Bafta-winning director behind the Netflix documentary. In an interview discussing Herrera’s statement, Russell suggested that even she may not fully know whether what she is saying is true. His comments indicate uncertainty not only about the substance of the claim, but also about how it should be interpreted in the emotional context of her past relationship with McAfee.
Russell described Herrera as someone who had been deeply hurt and angry. According to him, McAfee had promised her a life together, and despite their significant age difference, the relationship may have involved genuine feelings. He also noted that McAfee eventually left her behind at the border, something Russell suggested caused lasting pain that took years to process.
Those remarks do not disprove the allegation, but they provide an important frame for understanding why the filmmaker did not present the claim as settled fact. Instead, the documentary appears to leave viewers with an unresolved question, one consistent with McAfee’s reputation for cultivating confusion, spectacle, and unpredictability.
Janice McAfee rejects the Texas theory
Janice McAfee, McAfee’s widow, has also pushed back on the notion that her husband is alive and secretly living in Texas. Responding publicly to the speculation, she said she wished the claim were true, but added that if McAfee were alive, he would almost certainly not be hiding there.
Her reasoning is straightforward. At the time of his death, McAfee was being held in a Spanish prison while facing legal pressure connected to U.S. tax-related charges. In that context, Janice argued, choosing to hide inside the United States would make little sense. She specifically said she doubted he would have selected America as a refuge at all, calling such a decision “silly.”
That response is significant because it does not merely deny the Texas angle; it underscores the broader legal backdrop surrounding McAfee’s final months. He was not a free man disappearing voluntarily from a stable situation. He was entangled in extradition issues and official proceedings that had already placed him under intense scrutiny from multiple jurisdictions.
Why the speculation persists
The persistence of these theories owes much to the unusual aftermath of McAfee’s death. Reports cited in connection with the documentary note that his body remained in a Spanish morgue for well over a year after his reported suicide. During that time, Janice McAfee and her legal team were seeking an independent third-party autopsy.
According to those reports, complications involving Spain’s High Court prevented that process from moving forward quickly. The delay fueled continuing suspicion among observers who already viewed McAfee as a figure likely to attract conspiracy theories. In cases where family members seek additional forensic review and the legal process drags on, uncertainty often expands beyond the facts on record.
That atmosphere has helped keep alternative narratives alive, especially among audiences familiar with McAfee’s public persona. For years, he occupied a strange intersection of cybersecurity fame, libertarian posturing, legal controversy, media spectacle, and cryptocurrency evangelism. He was exactly the kind of figure around whom myths can flourish long after official accounts have been published.
McAfee’s legacy in crypto and beyond
Although the documentary focuses on the personal and criminal controversies that defined much of McAfee’s later life, his name also remains notable in crypto circles. He was one of the industry’s most flamboyant and controversial promoters during the 2017 bull market era, known for headline-grabbing predictions and attention-seeking public statements. Even after his influence faded, his association with crypto culture remained intact because he embodied a period when market hype, personality cults, and internet spectacle were deeply intertwined.
That legacy helps explain why new claims about McAfee still receive wide circulation. Stories about him are rarely treated as ordinary celebrity news. They are often absorbed into broader crypto narratives about distrust of institutions, suspicion of official accounts, and fascination with anti-establishment personalities.
Still, the current documentary-driven theory does not appear to change the factual baseline. There is no new verified evidence in the public record showing that McAfee survived, staged his death, or is living in Texas. What exists is a claim from a former partner, skepticism from the documentary’s own director, and a direct rejection of the theory from his widow.
Where the story stands now
As of now, the most responsible reading is that the Netflix documentary has revived interest in an already controversial case without resolving it. Herrera’s statement is undeniably striking, but it remains unverified. Russell’s comments suggest caution, and Janice McAfee’s remarks argue strongly against the plausibility of the Texas scenario.
For readers and viewers, the episode is a reminder of how easily the life of a figure like John McAfee can continue generating headlines even after death. His story still sits at the intersection of celebrity, criminal justice, internet folklore, and crypto-era mythmaking. Unless new evidence emerges, however, the claim that he is alive and hiding in Texas remains exactly that: a claim, not a confirmed fact.