A British woman is grappling with the devastating loss of a fortune after mistakenly discarding her husband’s flash drive, which contained Bitcoin worth approximately $3.8 million. As per a report by Dailystar, Ellie Hart, a 34-year-old primary school teacher, unknowingly threw out the device while conducting a routine spring cleaning of their home. The said USB drive had been stored in a drawer alongside miscellaneous household items such as old receipts, dead batteries, and tangled wires. Unaware of its immense value, she assumed it was one of her school-related storage devices and tossed it into the trash without a second thought. Days later, she realized her error when her husband, Tom, a 36-year-old website developer, went searching for his Bitcoin storage device. When he inquired about the flash drive, Ellie immediately froze, her heart sinking as she recalled her actions. “I felt absolutely sick. I knew instantly what I had done ,” she stated. “ We emptied the rubbish bags, tore open bin liners, but deep down, I knew it was already too late.” Notably, Tom purchased Bitcoin back in 2013, when the cryptocurrency was valued at a fraction of its current worth. Over the years, as Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed, the once-small investment turned into a multimillion-dollar asset. However, without access to the flash drive, the funds are now irretrievable. The tragic incident serves as a harsh reminder of the importance of secure cryptocurrency storage. Experts have advised Bitcoin holders to utilize offline wallets, known as “cold storage,” which are protected from cyber threats and safeguarded against accidental disposal. Properly labeling and securely storing storage devices can prevent costly mishaps like this one. This case echoes the ongoing saga of James Howells, another British citizen who lost access to 7,500 Bitcoin (worth about $627.4 million at current prices) after discarding a hard drive in 2013. Despite years of proposals to excavate the landfill where his drive is believed to be, authorities have refused permission. In February 2025, Business Waste specialist Mark Hall stated that successfully finding and extracting data from a hard drive in a landfill is “close to zero.” That same month, officials announced plans to permanently close and secure the landfill, though Howells continues seeking investor support to purchase and search the site.
