'Beyond the Headlines: Faking Death': Meet the real-life 'Gone Girl' in Lifetime's new documentary

The documentary will shine a light into the lives of many who have faked their deaths for one reason or the other

PUBLISHED FEB 14, 2021

When Rosamund Pike's character terrorised Ben Affleck's in 'Gone Girl', the world watched equally terrorised. Why did this one seemingly harmless woman plan the downfall of her husband so expertly? What had happened in their married life so far that Pike's Amy Dunne had to fake her own disappearance? 'Gone Girl' created waves when it released in 2014 and Amy became the embodiment of everything that men's nightmares were made of.

But in real life, people's accounts might not be of vindictive nature, or even glamorous at all. From insurance fraud to running for their lives, people fake their deaths for several reasons. And in the upcoming Lifetime documentary 'Beyond the Headlines: Faking Death', one will glimpse into the lives of many of those who have faked their deaths for one reason or the other.

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'Beyond the Headlines: Faking Death' will be airing on the channel after the Lifetime television movie 'Death Saved My Life', which stars Meagan Good and Chiké Okonkwo in the lead roles. Just as the title suggests, the movie is about a woman who escapes her abusive husband by faking her own death. On the surface, it might look like she has it all. But her marriage is rotting because of a controlling man who is also physically and psychologically abusive.

An FBI agent gathers up crime scene tape while moving the news media further away from a field outside Detroit where agents are searching for the alleged remains of former Teamsters union president Jimmy Hoffa June 17, 2013 in Oakland Township, Michigan. The agents were acting on a tip provided by Tony Zerilli, 85, a former mobster, who was released from prison in 2008. Hoffa, who had reported ties to organized crime, went missing in July of 1975. (Getty Images)

Via the television film, writer Elizabeth Greenwood discusses her research on the phenomenon of "pseudocide", or faking one’s own death. Based on the experience of the female protagonist in 'Death Saved My Life', Greenwood discusses the main reason why women fake their deaths. Is abuse the biggest reason for women to disappear? Or do they also do it for love? As Greenwood discusses that, she also looks into why a disappearing woman in books and movies is such a popular and intriguing subject.

As the author of 'Playing Dead: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud', Greenwood has delved deep into the world of pseudocide. The book details accounts of several people who have had to fake their own deaths in order to continue staying alive. In the documentary, she will also present these real-life cases of faked deaths that have captured the public eye. But most importantly, she will discuss why people resort to such lengths to disappear.

Meet the real-life 'Gone Girl'. The women who go to lengths to escape their past and their present. What are the risks involved and how does the planning happen? Is starting over the main goal? Or is it letting go? 'Beyond the Headlines: Faking Death' will release on February 13, 2021, at 10 PM ET/ PT.