It is common in exaggerated claims that they also claim to have relatives that lived even longer. It might be to make their own claim appear more plausible. 

Congratulations on your efforts, but altogether, this is a weak case. I'd say the chances of him being 115 is less than 10%. There's nothing so far that proves against the possibility of an early-life identity switch (which might have been absolutely accidental).

Your point about his family needing to "keep his true identity a secret" for 80 years isn't necessarily true. The most likely scenario (in my opinion) is that he didn't know when he was born, so the government searched for a birth record matching the information he gave them (his name, his mother's name, and his place of birth), and came up with the 1907 birth record. If he happened to be matched with the wrong birth record, the only thing he would've "stolen" would be the date of birth, so calling it "identity theft" is a massive exaggeration, and there wouldn't really be anything to "hide" either. On top of that, if he had no idea when he was actually born, there's basically a 0% chance any of his family members would know, either, so I'm sure they're fully convinced that he actually was born on 11 July 1907. Since there aren't any other records for 1907-born Jose Flores, it's likely he died as an infant and his death record was never indexed online.

With that being said, though, there's a smaller chance that the Jose Flores born on 11 July 1907 didn't actually die at a young age, and reached adulthood, where he was in the government's registry with his own identification. In this scenario, "our" Jose Flores would've accidentally been paired with the 1907-born Jose's entire identity, which would obviously constitute identity theft. There was actually a publicized example of this exact scenario happening in Colombia, which you can read about here.

However, the helpful thing about Costa Rica is that the database of its citizens - both living and deceased - is searchable online, meaning that we can check to see if there are two people in the system with the same name and DOB. As you can see here, this is "our" Jose Flores' ID card, which clearly states his ID number, name, mother's name, place of birth, and claimed DOB.

Searching this name up in the database, there's only one Jose Flores with this matching information, and the id number matches the one on the above card.

So we can be pretty sure that this isn't a case of literal identity theft ala Sara Corzo, but that doesn't even remotely prove that the 1907 birth record is a correct match.

@mendocino I understand. The first scenario could be a big possibility that the 1907-born Jose Flores died as an infant and our Mr. Jose Flores was accidentally given the 1907-born Jose Flores' information because our Mr. Jose Flores didn't know exactly when he was born. And when the government matched the information he gave them, they came up with the 1907 case. Personally, I think that if Mr. Jose Flores had, had a very unique surname, this information would've probably strengthened his case, given that the possibility of another person with the same unique surname to have the same info would be very slim. However, considering how common his name is, that changes the outlook of this. Since "Jose Flores" is a very common name, I definitely agree with you that they likely selected the wrong Jose Flores when the government searched for his information. This does not prove or disprove his case, but it certainly makes a good point of him not being 115. I also personally think that there's a giant piece of this "puzzle" missing, and until it is found, this case will remain open. His family might have early life documents and records of him, proving that he did know his exact birthdate, but until these documents surface, I think his case will remain not debunked, but as a longevity claimant. 

@024tomi thank you for your message. I agree with you that so far, we don't have proof that is either in favor of an early-life accidental identity switch, or against an early-life identity switch. I agree that this is a weak case, but if more pieces of the puzzle are found, it might change his case to being strong or debunked. It could go either way, but it's leaning toward the false side right now. I genuinely hope his family is able to provide more validated documents of him.  

Picture from 2016 when Mr. Flores Flores was 109

 Pictures from Mr. Flores Flores 115th Birthday party in July 2022. If someone could please add these to the Gerontology.fandom.com site I would really appreciate it!

Would be nice if he actually turns out to be 110+, but frankly, he doesn't look like he's a SC. That's not a guarantee that he isn't one, of course, but still, he looks like someone in his 70s, 80s, or 90s, IMHO.

Just wanted to give an update on Mr. Jose Flores Flores. Apparently there is a document from the 1920s exempting him from Military Service because he needed to work in the fields. And the document supposedly has a matching birth dare of 11 July 1907 on it. If this document could somehow be located, it would really strengthen his case. And it would prove that he had no motive to exaggerate his age, to say join the military at a younger age than allowed. I have tried to locate it online, but with no progress. I think this would take a professional researcher to figure out. Thoughts?

Edit: And it would prove, that even if his 1907 birthdate was wrong, he couldn't be much younger than the age claimed. It's not like the military is going to make a 5 year old complete service. 

Another update on Don Jose. I have been speaking with the chief of the local news station (the person responsible for interviewing him), and he said that plans are in the works to interview him again this July for his 116th birthday. He did not tell me Jose's condition, but I get the feel that he's still doing fine. If he's well enough to be interviewed, he must be doing alright. I'm looking forward to seeing his birthday interview this year!

Unfortunately I never heard back from my most recent letter to his family, as whether they actually did submit his documentation or apply for the record. The news station confirmed to me that his family did indeed receive the letter, but I have no idea if they're still on board with the idea to submit his documents. I also understand that apparently he was married in 1948? If someone can locate these marriage documents, it would again supply further proof that he knew about his age longer than previously thought. I really hope his case can be figured out. I am giving it my 100% to help him receive the recognition he deserves, if he truly is 115 going on 116. I'll keep you posted!

Another update on Don Jose Flores Flores. Apparently he was vaccinated against the Coronavirus, but ended up having a bad reaction to it. He is doing fine, but still in the process of recuperating. 

His family submitted his records to the GRG, but unfortunately due to the lack of documentation, he was not able to receive the title of WOLM. A new piece of evidence that has come to light, us that apparently his oldest child was born in 1927/1928 and would currently be 95 years old. If this can be proven, it would definitely support his claimed age. And if it is true that his oldest child was born around 95 years ago, it would mean that Jose couldn't be much younger than the age claimed. 

According to his family, other than his recent reaction from the vaccine, his health is still good. They had a Father's day celebration for him this past Sunday, and are planning a 116th birthday party for him next month. Hopefully more evidence will be discovered, and he will turn out to be the age claimed. I'm a little more confident in this case, knowing that his family did indeed submit his records. I mean the GRG doesn't just look at anyone's claim. It must mean he's got some proof, and they have some confidence in his case. I'm hoping for a validation at some point.

Posted by: @aquanaut

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His family submitted his records to the GRG, but unfortunately due to the lack of documentation, he was not able to receive the title of WOLM. A new piece of evidence that has come to light, us that apparently his oldest child was born in 1927/1928 and would currently be 95 years old. If this can be proven, it would definitely support his claimed age. And if it is true that his oldest child was born around 95 years ago, it would mean that Jose couldn't be much younger than the age claimed. 

...

If his oldest child was born in 1927/8 (95 y.o.), he could be born in 1913/4...Not strange and impossible to become father at 14 y.o. in that period....

And are we sure that his oldest child is really 95 y.o.?

Let's hope the best for him!

It's an interesting post, but it seems as though a number of your points are interpreting things how you want to interpret them, as opposed to how a reasonable person would interpret them. It seems like you are very willing to believe (very extreme) cases in spite of the evidence not being very concrete, and that's not going to help you when researching cases.

Points such as "I personally believe his age is true. With the combination of being born in one of the longevity capitals of the world, inheriting good genes from his likely centenarian grandmother, exercise, having a natural diet, and breathing in extremely fresh air, this provides a recipe for a Supercentenarian+ life." - you don't seem to have any evidence for his grandmother being a centenarian, and have based this entirely on an invented scenario to explain a quite clearly false claim (his grandmother lived to be 135). Also, even if his grandmother was truly a centenarian, it's quite a stretch to say that that adds credibility to his case (it's not as though having long-lived relatives is proven to greatly enhance a person's own longevity).

"but with the vigorous research I've done" - with respect, this is not "vigorous research" - you've located zero early or mid-life documents, haven't got anything that even goes any way to proving that the 1907 born man is the same as this one, and the entire case basically hinges on "his family claims to have documents" and "a document might exist somewhere to support this claim". I could claim that I have a Van Gogh painting, it doesn't mean that I actually do and unless I could provide the painting and had it authenticated by experts, nobody would (or should) believe that I genuinely had one.

It's really nice to see you discovering new claims and enjoying the ride of researching them, but I implore you to try and be a bit more objective with your assessment, instead of just believing something is true on the back of rather weak evidence, simply because you want it to be true. We all want to support your journey and don't want to be overly negative, but hopefully you can see why others here are not quite so willing to believe this case.

Another point, though obviously condition of SCs varies and looks can be very deceiving, the fact this guy does not look anywhere near as gerontic as you'd expect a 115 year old to look should at least introduce some degree of scepticism regarding its veracity. 

@ale76 hey Ale! Yeah that's the thing is that even though they "claim" to have proof that his oldest child is 95 years old, no proof has surfaced of this claim.

Like certain people claimed to have a child that was very old. Dhaqabo Ebba with his "claimed" 128 year old son, was obviously false. And even Francisca Susano with her 106 year old child is very difficult to believe. A 95 year old child is much easier to believe than a 128 & 106 year old (and actually plausible), but we still run into the problem that if any proof actually exists of his child being born in 1927/8, none of it has been seen by the public yet.

I had no idea that having a child at 14 was that common in that time of history! I thought around 17 would be the youngest, and I was genuinely surprised that Santos Rivas had a child at 15. But yeah, it's possible say he was 14 when his oldest child was born, he would only be 109/110. Still possibly the oldest living man in Costa Rica, but still aways to go from reaching 116. 

The one document that I personally would be interested in seeing proof of (if it exists) is the one from the 1920s that exempted him from military service. This would highly support his advanced age, as I highly doubt for regular military service (non-wartime) they would call up a 17 year old or younger. This would also prove that he had no reason to lie about his age, unless it had been exaggerated from the time he was born. But even if he was say only 11, when the military granted him an exemption, they would've recognized he wasn't an adult and sent him home, instead of writing him an exemption. So assuming this documentation actually exists, and say is from 1925 when he reached the age for military service, he must have been able to pass for an adult for them to even consider him. 

It's a bummer that none of these documents have been proven to exist... yet... Just like you said let's hope for the best! Maybe soon, something will turn up and help him a validation!

Thank you for your comment Ale! I hope you're doing good, my friend!

@ell I agree with you 100% that his grandmother didn't live to be 135. She may have lived say, 100 or 105 years, but definitely not 135. But even his grandmother lived to be 100 or 105, he still had longevity in his genes, giving him a slight edge. 

I have indeed done a vigorous amount of research on Jose's case. More than anyone else's. It's just unfortunately, I haven't found any "proof" of new documents or anything. I did however succeed in getting his family to apply for the record and having their documents looked at, and talking to the Costa Rican News Station, and one of Jose's sons. But I would still agree with you completely that just because his family "claims" to have proof doesn't mean it exists. Just like you said. I mean, I myself could claim something extraordinary that like I have 3 eyes, or purple hair, but doesn't necessarily mean it's true.

I think I am basing this case more on belief more than anything. His family claims they have all these documents, and the Costa Rican news station says he's legit, but nothing has come forward so far. The only early life documentation we have is a 1907 baptismal record from the church of the town he was born. I want to believe his case so much, and I give him the benefit of the doubt, but unfortunately I cannot yet say his age is true. I want to believe Mrs. Batuli Lamichhane's case too, but again, it's same problem with not enough documentation. 

It can change in the future, but all we can do for now is wait and see.

P.S. I also agree that he does look suspiciously young for his claimed age, but Jiroemon Kimura, Emma Morano, Inah C. Lucas, and Bob Weighton also looked very young. It does add suspicion to Jose's case though.

@aquanaut_chalk Even if you've spent many hours researching his case (and I believe that you have), the fact is there has been nothing surface that would give me cause to believe his case. Until any reasonable proof surfaces, this is nothing more than one of the many extreme longevity claims out there in my eyes. I really don't think any "benefit of the doubt" should be given to claims with no evidence, especially when they patently look very young for their claimed age (if he looked extremely aged and fragile, I might understand where that benefit of the doubt was coming from, but here it seems that it's being awarded on the basis that you want the claim to be true, more than anything). 

If the family provides documentation (and actual, original documentation), then I might consider reassessing, but up to now I am rather more in the "most likely false" camp.

It is good and enthusiastic work Aquanaut_chalk but as the saying goes this is 

“an extraordinary case”

(with the oldest man otherwise coming from 1909 right now - and being very rare at over 114.0 in his own right)

therefore requiring “extraordinary proof”

Or perhaps more relevantly a very robust level of solid documentary evidence.

Good luck with your ongoing work on this one.

Mr. Flores Flores will celebrate his claimed 116th birthday tomorrow! I am keeping my eyes open for any updates on him

Happy 116th Birthday Mr. Jose Flores Flores! If his age is true, he may be the 3rd documented man in history to reach this age! After the fully validated Jiroemon Kimura and unvalidated but documented Anisio Rodriguez Alves. Happy Birthday Jose! I hope you enjoy your wonderful day!

Mr. Jose Flores Flores confirmed alive via Facebook on 30 July 2023. I messaged his nephew to ask about how he's doing and any recent updates after his 116th birthday on the 11th. I have yet to hear back...

I discovered this afternoon that Mr. Flores's wife was born in 1933 and died in 2017, aged 84. Now what's strange about this is that he claims his oldest child is 95 as of 2023 which would make them born in either 1927 or 1928. See the problem? Either his 1933-born wife was his second marriage and his first wife was much older, or the 1927/1928 birth is actually him and he was mixed up accidentally with our 1907 Jose Flores Flores. If it is proven that this marriage to a 1933-born woman was ACTUALLY his second marriage, it would change the entire ballgame and even further support his age. HOWEVER, this evidence may be strong enough to finally debunk his age once and for all, as if it's proven that this was his only marriage it would mean that there's no way his oldest child could be 5/6 years older than their mother! This case has been very strange. I believed him 100% at first, but this is just weird.

2 Possible Scenarios:

Scenario #1: Mr. Jose Flores Flores was actually born when he said he was on 11 July 1907. There is a baptismal certificate and a census record supporting this. He was married twice. The first time to an unknown woman, and the second time to a woman born 26 years after him in 1933. However, there is no proof of an earlier marriage. If his claimed 95 year old child's age is true, it would support him being an SC, but like his first marriage there's no evidence this even exists. 

Scenario #2: Mr. Jose Flores Flores was accidentally mixed up with a 1907-born Jose Flores Flores. His claimed 95 year old child is actually him, and he was born in 1927/1928 and not 1907 like he claims. The 1907 baptismal certificate and census record were accidentally assigned to him and actually belonged to another Jose Flores Flores whose death certificate has never been recovered. He married his only wife (because there's only proof of one marriage) in 1933 and she was only 5 or 6 years younger and not 26.

Honestly I don't even know what to think. I think right now his case is on the fence. I think that the outcome of his claimed 95 year old child can turn the tables. If this supposed 95 year old child's age is true it would definitely support his age. Like Ale said it was fairly common to father a child at 14. So 95 + 14 = 109. Jose would probably be minimal 109 IF, and only IF this 95 year old child can be proven to exist. BUT if this claimed 95 year old child's age is false, then most of Jose's credibility will be vaporized. I do find it strange that even though his family claims to have all these records they haven't submitted them yet, and these records aren't prove to exist. I do understand not wanting publicity, but it does make it quite strange. 

Good work Aquanaut_Chalk.

these are the kind of outcomes that often present themselves when cases have limited available proof - but appear to be otherwise “spectacular” in terms of the age claimed.

This single piece of data alone, suggests the claimed age is “probably incorrect”.  Generally speaking that is the initial stance one should take when investigating such an advanced age claim, especially for a male.

@chrisr I totally agree with you. I was thinking to myself this morning that since his family is interested in having him recognized by the GWR, why are they not submitting every piece of proof they have? It could be very well that either this "proof" they claim to have doesn't actually exist and they just made it up, or they know that if they submit the documentation it would instead debunk his case rather than validate it. I mean, I don't know about everyone else but if I was his family, and his claimed age was true, I would've submitted everything I had immediately, instead of waiting and withholding the way they are doing. 

Unfortunately it seems his case will remain a mystery, although it's not looking to good for him right now. All we need to either prove or disprove his case is just a couple more pieces of this puzzle and his family may never be willing to submit it.

I am deeply saddened to announce that I will no longer be investigating Mr. Jose Flores Flores's case as I feel that the chances of him actually being 116 are getting increasingly slim, and that I have done all I can with trying to help his case. The rest of the situation lies now in his family's hands. If said "proof" of him having a 95 year old child exist, as well as earlier marriage documents there's nothing else I can do until his family takes a step and submits it. But for now I think his case should continue to be listed as unsolved, but skeptical... and unfortunately it may remain this way for a very long time. *sad emoji*

Don José Flores Flores confirmed alive via Facebook on 31 January 2024

Jose Flores Flores confirmed alive by local news station in Costa Rica, this morning on 15 April 2024. News reporter says they're going to throw him a massive birthday party for his upcoming claimed 117th birthday. Glad to know he is still with us.