Living Ohio man ruled ‘legally dead’

A US man declared dead after he disappeared nearly three decades ago cannot now be declared officially alive, though he has returned home and is in good health, a judge has ruled.

Donald Miller of Ohio left behind a wife, two children and significant debt when he fled his home in 1986.

He was declared legally dead in 1994, then re-emerged in 2005 and attempted to apply for a driving licence.

A judge this week found death rulings cannot be overturned after three years.

So this guy is alive and well and yet according to the law he is dead, as loopholes go that is quite a major one.

Granted I’m sure when Mr Miller ran away and abandoned his wife and two kids he may well have been as good as dead to them, but there’s a difference between that and the eyes of the law.

When I read this I couldn’t help but laugh, then I thought life’s going to be awkward for that guy, but actually he can pretty much do what he wants because now he’s legally dead he surely has immunity from prosecution, will he now take up a new profession as a bank robber?

In fact if the state of Ohio refuses to acknowledge under the law that he’s alive then surely he can the live the rest of his life without paying for any of the services provided by the state government.

There’s also an element of ambiguity here, could he move to another state and be considered alive?

Best of all if he got into a confrontation with someone and they threatened to kill him he could use the phrase “you can’t kill me I’m already dead” and mean it in an actual and not emotional sense.