An estate cannot distribute to someone it cannot identify or reach, and a court will want to see how each relationship was established.
Start from the decedent
Research begins with the decedent's documented life: marriages, children, prior addresses, and the jurisdictions those events touched. Each confirmed fact opens a branch and closes several speculative ones.
Build the relationship chart
Vital records, probate filings, obituaries, and property records are used to construct a chart showing how each identified person connects to the estate — with the supporting document noted for every link. Branches that cannot be documented are labeled as such rather than assumed closed.
Then develop contact
Only after a relationship is documented does contact development begin: current address research, contact plausibility assessment, and deceased-status checks for individuals who may have predeceased the decedent.
What the estate still has to do
Research does not determine legal entitlement, and it does not replace certified vital records the court requires. Both remain the estate's responsibility, and our report identifies which certified records to order and from where.
Have a matter that needs this kind of research?
Requests are reviewed for a lawful and authorized purpose before acceptance.
Request a Case Review