Helping Guardians with End-of-Life Decisions

Mary Wilson was an elderly woman under the care of a Florida Plenary Guardian. Her health was declining and she was receiving palliative care. She had no children or known heirs and did not have an end-of-life plan.

The Court had directed the Plenary Guardian to conduct an heir search. That’s when the attorney for the Plenary Guardian petitioned the court to engage HeirSearch.

Time was of the essence to solve this case and ensure that Mrs. Wilson could be treated according to the wishes of her family. We immediately started the work to locate and identify any heirs of the 85yr old.

Working from a single known family member’s name, HeirSearch was able to locate related birth indexes, wills, death certificates, marriage records and census reports to follow the trail of Mary’s family. Our research led us to identify Mary’s late brother, Edward, and locate his two living sons Edward Jr. and Michael, Mary’s nephews.

Within 5 weeks and well within budget, Mary’s heirs were identified and her nephews were able to provide the family’s wishes for her funeral. They were also able to furnish details regarding a cemetery plot that had already been purchased for Mary.

In the end, HeirSearch was able to reconnect a family and give them the chance to ensure that their wishes were followed, and their family member’s end-of-life arrangements were honored.

Disclaimer: Although accurate in scope, all identifying information has been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Copyright © International Genealogical Search Inc. All rights reserved.