Death Notices And A Fake Undertaker: Three-Year Sentence For Woman Behind Elaborate Death Hoax

Thursday, 30 October 2025 14:17

By Martin Osborne - Head Of News

Amy McAuley was due to stand trial in early 2023, but that never went ahead — because she pretended to be her sister and told gardaí that she had died.

A woman who faked her own death to avoid facing trial on theft and attempted deception charges has been jailed for three years.

35-year-old Amy McAuley, with addresses in Connagh, Fethard-on-Sea, Co. Wexford and Navan Road, Dublin 7, submitted a false death certificate to stand up the lie.

Amy McAuley was due to stand trial in early 2023, but that never went ahead - because she pretended to be her sister and told gardaí that she had died.

She even filed a false death notification form with Wexford County Council, resulting in death certificates being issued under English and Irish spellings of her name.

Three death notices were later found on RIP.ie - one claiming she’d died in France, another posted by a fake undertaker she’d invented.

When questioned, McAuley admitted she couldn’t face court and didn’t want to leave her young child.

The court heard she’d stolen over €55,000 from a former employer, and falsely claimed her own death to another company to obtain a €9,000 “goodwill payment.”

Judge Orla Crowe said this was “not opportunistic or spontaneous” offending, but a “deliberately planned deception” that breached significant trust.

Taking into account her guilty pleas, remorse, and mental health difficulties, she imposed a four-year sentence, with the final 12 months suspended.

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