One Family With Many Names

How can fiduciary professionals fulfil their fiduciary duty when a decedent’s true name is unknown?

A Michigan Public Administrator serving as an estate’s representative hired HeirSearch to locate, prove, and report the decedent’s Level 1 heirs, parents, and siblings, plus their respective issue per stirpes.

At the onset of the engagement, the Public Administrator believed that the decedent:

• Was born and passed away in Michigan
• Was never married nor had children
• Had no known family members

Our initial research revealed that the decedent had a different birth name than initially thought, throwing a curveball into our research process. This discovery, while initially a hurdle, ultimately allowed us to uncover accurate information about the decedent’s family, like:

• The decedent’s mother had been married three times, with the decedent’s father being the second husband
• The decedent’s mother had another daughter with her first husband
• The decedent’s father passed at 71 years of age
• The decedent’s mother passed at 83 years of age in Texas

After the exhaustive research, we were able to locate a half-blood sibling of the decedent whose contact information was provided to the attorney, allowing them to fulfill their fiduciary duty.

If you are a Public Administrator, an estate’s executor, or an attorney representing an executor and need to establish heirship to satisfy the court, HeirSearch can help. We offer no-cost, no-obligation consultations, even if you are not planning to start a search right away. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have — we look forward to connecting!

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Disclaimer: Although accurate in scope, all identifying information such as names, dates and locations have been changed in order to protect the privacy of individuals.
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