Janice Dyson's Net Worth Likely Increased After John McAfee's Death
Janice Dyson is the widow of antivirus software pioneer John McAfee. She likely inherited the $4 million McAfee was reportedly worth when he died.
Feb. 3 2023, Updated 1:35 p.m. ET
The death of antivirus software pioneer John McAfee is likely what made his wife, former prostitute Janice Dyson, a very rich woman. Although McAfee’s fortune dwindled to $4 million from its previous peak of $100 million, it still added to Dyson’s net worth.
McAfee grew his fortune from the antivirus software he developed in 1987. While he did hit billionaire status after selling McAfee Associates Inc. to Intel, his net worth plummeted. Following his death, it's presumed Dyson inherited his fortune. For more details on Dyson's net worth and the rocky relationship she had with McAfee, keep reading.
Janice Dyson, now Janice McAfee
Advocate (for her late husband)
Net worth: $1 million–$4 million (unconfirmed)
Shortly after Janice Dyson met John McAfee, the two connected and tied the knot. Little is known about Dyson and her background, though she has been quite outspoken regarding the death of her husband.
Born: 1983
Kids: 3
Spouse: John McAfee (2013–2021)
Who is Janice Dyson?
Janice Dyson with her late husband, John McAfee.
Although little is known about Dyson and where she comes from, she worked as a prostitute up until the time she met McAfee. In fact, Dyson credits McAfee from saving her from a violent pimp, and from being sex trafficked, which is something she says she was subjected to for years.
While many speculate that McAfee resides in California with her three children, in January 2023, she announced via Twitter that she was still in Spain waiting for her husband's remains to be released. A month following his death, Dyson began petitioning for his remains to be released so that an autopsy could be completed in the U.S.
To this day, many still believe McAfee was murdered while in police custody.
Spanish authorities suggest John McAfee’s death was a suicide.
McAfee, the founder of the popular security software named after him, was found dead on June 23, 2021, in a Spanish jail cell where he was awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face tax-related criminal charges. According to The Wall Street Journal, Spanish authorities said that McAfee’s death was most likely a suicide. The cause of death is still under investigation.
John McAfee met his wife after hiring her for sex.
McAfee, 75, and Dyson have been married since 2013. The eccentric millionaire reportedly met Dyson, a prostitute in South Beach, Fla., when he hired her for sex in 2012. Dyson is about 37 years younger than McAfee, and she has three children.
McAfee “thought I was worthy enough of a second chance,” Dyson told ABC’s 20/20 in 2017.
Janice Dyson was involved in the 2017 kidnap attempt of John McAfee.
The couple’s relationship has been rocky from the start. In 2017, McAfee discovered that Dyson was involved in a plot to rob and kidnap him, Newsweek reported. Dyson told Newsweek that she was blackmailed by her former pimp and ordered to drug McAfee’s food and leave the doors unlocked at the couple’s Lexington, Ky. home.
"Even though I was cooperating, I was still trying to suggest to him (McAfee), without telling him, to be careful. [But] I would get in the way. A lot of the attempts that happened in our home, I hindered those from happening, blocked them from happening, because I'm in the house too," she told Newsweek.
McAfee suspected the kidnap plot had something to do with his time living in Belize before he met Dyson. In 2012, Belize authorities named McAfee as a “person of interest” in the murder of his neighbor. The story has been well-publicized and is even featured in a Showtime documentary Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee.
Dyson’s pimp reportedly knew about McAfee’s troubles in Belize and the $2 million bounty that was out on his life.
Despite her involvement in the attempted kidnapping, McAfee and Dyson stayed married.
"It's been one plot after another," McAfee told Newsweek. "My wife was in full cooperation with them, but at the same time trying to urge me not to do things that would lead me directly into the trap, without telling me that she was cooperating to collect me. Janice probably has done more good than harm because while she was cooperating, she at the same time kind of likes me, I guess.”
Janice Dyson continued to support John McAfee while he was in prison.
Although their relationship was tumultuous to say the least, Dyson supported McAfee as he sat in a Spanish prison after he was arrested in October 2020 for evading taxes back in Tennessee. On the same day of his death, Spain’s National Court approved the extradition of McAfee back to the U.S. to face charges.
“Regardless of whatever John may or may not have done, he has spent most of his retirement fighting not only for his own freedom, but everyone’s freedom, in America and across the world. For your freedom and the right to make your own choices in life. Now more than ever he needs your support, all of your support really, in this battle against injustice,” Dyson wrote on Twitter in October after McAfee was arrested.
If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
If you need support, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit RAINN.org to chat online one-on-one with a support specialist at any time.