A family’s identification of a missing member carries enormous authority, both legally and socially, in a way that no external documentation can fully replace or replicate.

Bourdin understood this.

The Barclay case was not simply the largest of his impersonations.

It was the most ambitious in its use of a specific strategy: obtaining the validation of the family as the primary source of credibility, rather than relying primarily on documents and invented biography.

The strategy worked for sixteen months.

The Social Services Dimension

One aspect of the Barclay-Bourdin case that receives less attention than it deserves is the role of social services in facilitating the deception.

After returning to San Antonio, “Nicholas” — Bourdin — was enrolled in school.