Tracing missing heirs
Not everyone is as easy to find. This could lead to unpleasant surprises when an inheritance needs to be settled. Since all heirs must be involved, delay can arise. In case of a missing person, there is often an unannounced move or departure abroad. Especially if the search area stretches across borders, it can be a big challenge to find someone.
At Borderless Investigations we are happy to search for the person you are looking for as we are specialized in locating people outside the national borders. We work in a discreet and confidential manner in order to find family members and other heirs.
Case example
Riccardo (33): With the death of my grandfather his inheritance was released. He had done the designation of heirs some years ago with my grandmother, before she died. As we had foreseen, my uncle was also mentioned in the will. What makes it difficult is that we haven’t heard from him for years. He moved to Canada at a young age. My grandmother has kept in touch with him for a long time, but since she is deceased no one has spoken to him. On both my grandparents’ funerals, he didn’t come.
My uncle must now be 74 years old, but for us it isn’t clear whether he’s still alive. He’s never been married and as far as we know he didn’t have children. We know he didn’t stay in Canada, but that he travelled all over the world. Where he finally settled, we can not figure out.
The last residence known to us is from ten years ago. Then he lived on Malta, with his then girlfriend. We heard from her that the relationship has been broken and that my uncle no longer has contact with her. So she doesn’t know where he can be now.
Meanwhile, an executor has been appointed who is dealing with my uncle's part of the inheritance. As my grandfather had quite a few possessions and a large bank account, there are considerable assets we have no access to. Apart from material things, this is emotionally difficult for my father and his other brothers. They want to get rid of this situation and let my grandfather rest in peace leaving great memories for them.
Finding a missing heir
People go missing for a variety of reasons. These are the most important ones:
- An individual has passed away without anyone knowing.
- There is a deliberate disappearance: someone does not want to be found.
- The person is missing and does not know that he is being looked for.
If one of the heirs is missing, for whatever reason, then the settlement of an inheritance will stagnate. To avoid this, the law provides that the court can appoint an administrator for the inheritance of a missing heir. This appointment ends when the rightful heir appears and decides so together with the administrator.
If the person remains missing for years, the heirs of the absentee may take possession of the inheritance property. Other beneficiaries can then request the court to declare that there is a presumption of death. This period will be shortened if, given the circumstances, death is plausible.
We can help
In the event that an heir cannot be located, the probate process may remain stagnant for a considerable time. We help investigate the cause of absence and the circumstances under which someone has gone missing. If the heir cannot even be found by this investigation, then on the basis of this investigation, an application for a declaration of presumption of death can be made to the court.
By hiring Borderless Investigations you will speed up the investigation into a missing person’s case. We help to find the missing heir, or to determine the (plausible) death of the absent heir in order for the remaining beneficiaries to settle the inheritance. We specialize in investigations outside national borders. Our international expertise enables us to find faster information that leads to the missing person.