The French Con Artist Who Convinced a Family He Was Their Missing Son

On June 13, 1994, 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay disappeared after playing basketball near his home in San Antonio, Texas. Three years later, his family received an extraordinary phone call: Nicholas had been found alive in Spain. His older sister Carey flew to Linares, Spain, to bring her brother home.

The person she met was not Nicholas Barclay. It was Frédéric Bourdin, a 23-year-old French serial impostor who had already assumed hundreds of false identities across Europe. Bourdin had dark hair, brown eyes, and a thick French accent. Nicholas had been a blue-eyed, fair-haired American kid. None of that stopped what happened next.

How He Pulled It Off

Bourdin's preparation was meticulous and desperate in equal measure. He dyed his hair blond, wore blue contact lenses, and used a needle and ink to give himself tattoos matching Nicholas's records. He even scarred his own body with a razor blade to simulate signs of abuse, supporting his cover story that he'd been kidnapped by a child trafficking ring.

When Carey Gibson arrived in Spain, Bourdin explained away every inconsistency. His eye color? The traffickers had injected chemicals to darken them. His French accent? They hadn't allowed him to speak English for three years. His different face? He'd been just 13 when he disappeared — of course he looked different now.

She believed him. She brought him home to San Antonio.

Living the Lie

For roughly three and a half months, Bourdin lived as Nicholas Barclay. He attended Nicholas's old school, ate dinner with the family, and maintained the charade day after day. He even enrolled in classes and fooled teachers who had known the real Nicholas.

The family's willingness to accept him has been debated ever since. Some saw a grieving family so desperate for their boy's return that they overlooked glaring red flags. Others — including Bourdin himself — later suggested something darker: that the family accepted him because they knew the real Nicholas could never come back.

The Unraveling

Private investigator Charlie Parker, working with a TV crew filming the reunion story, grew suspicious. He compared photographs of Bourdin's ears with Nicholas's — ear shapes are as unique as fingerprints. They didn't match.

Parker confronted Bourdin over breakfast, and Bourdin did something nobody expected: he confessed. He admitted his real name was Frédéric Bourdin and that he was wanted by Interpol. In February 1998, the FBI confirmed his identity through fingerprints and DNA.

The Aftermath

Bourdin was sentenced to six years in federal prison for passport fraud and perjury — more than double the recommended sentence. He claims to have assumed over 500 false identities throughout his life, earning him the nickname "The Chameleon."

Nicholas Barclay has never been found. His case remains open.

The story was adapted into the critically acclaimed 2012 documentary The Imposter, which features Bourdin himself recounting the deception — and raising unsettling questions about what really happened to Nicholas Barclay.