Gerald Cotten was the founder and chief executive officer of QuadrigaCX. On his death certificate, it is stated he died on December 9, 2018, from complications with Crohn's disease. ^{[1] [2]}

Cotten was married to Jennifer Robertson.

^[1]

During a trip to Jaipur, Cotten allegedly passed away from complications with Crohn's disease. At the time of his death, Cotten was the sole holder of the private keys and passwords to QuadrigaCX’s cold Storage which has about $140 million worth of cryptocurrencies. ^[3]

Both a statement of death issued by a Halifax funeral home and a death certificate issued by the Government of Rajasthan’s Directorate of Economics and Statistics report that he died in Jaipur, India. ^[4]

Circumstances regarding Cotten's death has been received by industry journalists as unusual.

The first detail that raises questions is the fact that Cotten died in India, a country where the government has a difficult time maintaining order concerning documentations.

Some parts of India have been known to fabricate birth, marriage, and death certificates.

^[1]

Cotten's untimely death forced the closure of QuadrigaCX, which had some 115,000 users at the time. On December 13, 2019, the legal team representing users of the platform in the bankruptcy proceedings sent a letter to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police seeking an exhumation and post-mortem autopsy be performed on Cotten's body "to confirm both its identity and the cause of death". They say information revealed during the proceedings "further highlight the need for certainty around the question of whether Mr Cotten is in fact deceased".^[8]

In a statement sent through her lawyer, Cotten's widow said she "is heartbroken to learn of this request".

Jennifer Robertson said her late husband's death "should not be in doubt", adding it is unclear how its confirmation "would assist the asset recovery process further".^[8]