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Woman Lived 30 Years Under False Name After Faking Death
21 Jun
Summary
- A woman staged her death in 1984 to claim a trust fund.
- She lived for over 30 years under the assumed name Diana Stoney.
- Her deception was only discovered when social workers checked paperwork.
In a dramatic 1984 event, Shelagh Warwick-Illius staged her own death to access a substantial trust fund. She vanished from a cross-channel ferry, leaving behind her car and passport. Warwick-Illius was subsequently declared dead in 1985, allowing the trust fund to be paid out.
For more than 30 years, she lived under the assumed name Diana Stoney in the village of Knook. Neighbours knew her as an eccentric woman with many old cars. Her associate, Veronica Brown, also lived with her under an assumed identity.
Veronica Brown passed away in 2008. Warwick-Illius, then known as Diana Stoney, died in December 2016 in Inverness. The deception came to light when social workers reviewing her paperwork realized inconsistencies, though the matter was dropped due to her dementia.
