The third account — implicit rather than explicitly stated, but consistent with the evidence — is that Carey Gibson and perhaps Beverly Dollarhide suspected or knew that something was wrong, but chose not to investigate because the alternative to believing was too painful.

Not full deliberate concealment of a crime, but willful blindness driven by desperation and grief.

Each of these accounts has some evidence that could be mustered in its support.

Each also has problems.

The first account is the one that the legal proceedings essentially endorsed — Bourdin was convicted of fraud against everyone, including the family.

But the simple fraud narrative doesn’t fully explain why the discrepancies went unaddressed for so long.

The second account comes from a proven liar with strong motivation to shift blame, and the specific accusation against Jason cannot be tested because Jason is dead.