The Lineup writes that on the evening he went missing, Diesel (standing, left, with Thomas Edison, seated, in 1912) made his way to his room at 10 p.m. This would be the last time that he was seen alive. Time states that when the ship arrived in England, Diesel never made it off board. In fact, he never even made it to his room; his nightclothes were on his bed but it was clear that they had not been slept in (via the BBC). What, then, had happened to Diesel? Family and friends theorized that he had fallen overboard or that he had killed himself. As ThoughtCo. explains, Diesel was in serious debt from bad investments and was having health issues.
Some 11 days after his disappearance, Diesel’s body was found at sea by a Belgian sailor (per History). However, Time reports that although the body was identified as Diesel, there has been speculation that the remains were not his. The body was heavily decomposed but Diesel’s son was adamant that it was indeed his father (via The Lineup).
According to the BBC, the son said that a wallet and knife found on the body were owned by Diesel. Whatever the case, it was concluded that Diesel had killed himself. Eerily, his diary had an X marked on the date for September 29, 1913. Additionally, it’s reported that before he left for England, Diesel gave his wife a bag full of money and documents that proved how deep in debt he was.
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