What Happens When Someone Dies?
Discussion
I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.
When someone dies - what happens?
Supposing someone dies, their body is found, they are identified. What happens then? If they have no known relations? How do the authorities find out where the will is? What assets did they have? Where are those assets?
Do the council send an email to some central authority - or what? Or do they go through the person's property searching every drawer and cupboard?.
When someone dies - what happens?
Supposing someone dies, their body is found, they are identified. What happens then? If they have no known relations? How do the authorities find out where the will is? What assets did they have? Where are those assets?
Do the council send an email to some central authority - or what? Or do they go through the person's property searching every drawer and cupboard?.
you would assume they would have some identifying marks a wallet even. So lets say they die at home well that;s easy trace any relatives etc. If they die walking on the moors and they have no wallet phone or even cloths it might be a bit harder to trace them but I suspect the police are gifted at that (assume here they were found an had died of natural causes).
I recall in the 90s reading in FHM about a mortuary on London an they had one body in the fridge that had been taken from the Thames and not identified for over a year so guess it does happen but if you have no frineds relatives an no one notices your missing then it would tend to indicate you have no assets to leave.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Vincent
The above is a good story (very sad) of someone no one knew had died who had no one to leave stuff to either.
I recall in the 90s reading in FHM about a mortuary on London an they had one body in the fridge that had been taken from the Thames and not identified for over a year so guess it does happen but if you have no frineds relatives an no one notices your missing then it would tend to indicate you have no assets to leave.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Vincent
The above is a good story (very sad) of someone no one knew had died who had no one to leave stuff to either.
Gecko1978 said:
you would assume they would have some identifying marks a wallet even. So lets say they die at home well that;s easy trace any relatives etc. If they die walking on the moors and they have no wallet phone or even cloths it might be a bit harder to trace them but I suspect the police are gifted at that (assume here they were found an had died of natural causes).
You mention the moors? More recently but strychnine rather than natural causes.Took a while to identify.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-manchest...
The Mad Monk said:
Supposing someone dies, their body is found, they are identified. What happens then?
Our next door neighbour sadly passed away a few years ago. Elderly bloke who had lived in their house all their life but refused to have central heating fitted despite us and the neighbours on the far side constantly advising him to do so and offering to help organise it. No modernisation, no double glazing (didn't even have a fridge)!We hadn't seen him for a couple of days, which wasn't unusual, but we spotted a letter still half in the letterbox so called the police who went in and found him in bed. He'd previously had a couple of close calls on one occasion where we noticed, called the police and he was taken to hospital. Previous to that similar scenario but before we moved in and the people we bought the house from did the same thing.
No will was found, and the only relative he'd mentioned to us and a couple of his elderly friends was a sister he never talked to who had apparently moved to Mexico/Central America over 20 years previously.
The authorities apparently tried to find her, but were unsuccessful - it's possible she may have died previously.
The local authority arranged a basic funeral which a couple of his friends, ourselves, and a couple of other neighbours attended.
After several months had passed, the authorities must have concluded that no relatives were contactable, so they basically arranged for the house to be cleared and then sold. He had a massive collection (maybe 500+) of very old model buses, trains, cars etc.. which I think the house clearance people took. Everything else in the skip (including lots of old photographic slides). Really quite a sad state of affairs.
I understand the proceeds would have been used to cover the funeral expenses, and the remainder go to the public purse, It wasn't a small sum as the house went for around £500k and I assume he probably had a fair amount in the bank as no mortgage and had never had to pay any accommodation (it was his parent's house where he'd always lived), and he never spent anything as far as we could tell.
This thread interests me, I am last of the line, I have some distant cousins that I have never met and don't even know their names apart from one who is a criminal. I would rather leave it all to charity than dodgy distant relatives.
I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
BT Summers said:
This thread interests me, I am last of the line, I have some distant cousins that I have never met and don't even know their names apart from one who is a criminal. I would rather leave it all to charity than dodgy distant relatives.
I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
Make a will. I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
My Uncle died a couple of years ago.
He was an odd one. He lived in the same house he’d been born in some 80 years before. Never had a girlfriend or boyfriend. He no longer had any water or electricity connected. He never washed or changed clothes
He had no phone except the mobile my father, his brother, had given him. My father rang him weekly to make sure he was ok. He wouldn’t allow anyone into his house and didn’t have a doctor or seen a dentist in 40 years. He spent his days either in the library keeping warm or walking the streets.
In short he was a total recluse, a tramp, who lived virtually “off grid” for the majority of his life. It sounds unbelievable that anyone could live like this in this day and age but he did and absolutely wouldn’t allow any help at all apart from money from my Dad, and could get very agitated if anyone did try to help.
He was found collapsed in the street and taken into hospital. For nearly a week they were unable to identify him as he had no wallet or any identification.
He could only mutter “Arnold” which is an area near to where he was found and where they assumed he lived in the streets. It’s actually my Dads name.
Meanwhile my Dad was frantic with worry at not being able to contact him (his phone was later found in his home) and had been ringing around the hospitals trying to trace him.
Somehow, someone made the connection and my Father got to the hospital around 2 hours before he passed.
In answer to the OPs question, in this tragic example, I’ve got no idea how they would have identified him if my Dad hadn’t been around?
He was an odd one. He lived in the same house he’d been born in some 80 years before. Never had a girlfriend or boyfriend. He no longer had any water or electricity connected. He never washed or changed clothes
He had no phone except the mobile my father, his brother, had given him. My father rang him weekly to make sure he was ok. He wouldn’t allow anyone into his house and didn’t have a doctor or seen a dentist in 40 years. He spent his days either in the library keeping warm or walking the streets.
In short he was a total recluse, a tramp, who lived virtually “off grid” for the majority of his life. It sounds unbelievable that anyone could live like this in this day and age but he did and absolutely wouldn’t allow any help at all apart from money from my Dad, and could get very agitated if anyone did try to help.
He was found collapsed in the street and taken into hospital. For nearly a week they were unable to identify him as he had no wallet or any identification.
He could only mutter “Arnold” which is an area near to where he was found and where they assumed he lived in the streets. It’s actually my Dads name.
Meanwhile my Dad was frantic with worry at not being able to contact him (his phone was later found in his home) and had been ringing around the hospitals trying to trace him.
Somehow, someone made the connection and my Father got to the hospital around 2 hours before he passed.
In answer to the OPs question, in this tragic example, I’ve got no idea how they would have identified him if my Dad hadn’t been around?
Edited by stuartmmcfc on Tuesday 19th January 21:49
Jasandjules said:
The Mad Monk said:
When someone dies - what happens?
Are you only interested in John Doe? No. Just someone who dies, with no known family.
I wonder how the authorities find all the bank accounts, investment accounts, Premium Bonds etc, etc. that someone might have.
They might have left a will, but it's at the solicitors. Which solicitors? How do they find out all that information?
"I think he had a sister? Did she live in Norfolk, or was it Cumbria?"
Edit.
This is a completely hypothetical situation.
Let us say, a known person dies, how do the authorities trace their assets?
Edited by The Mad Monk on Tuesday 19th January 22:06
Clifford Chambers said:
Make a will.
The solicitor who made up my will told me to tell everyone in the will what they are getting and things you want done at the funeral if required.Also tell them where the will is stored. [in a fire proof container][the solicitor keeps a copy too]
That solicitor told me they go through the papers everyday looking at the obituaries for any clients. The government has something for this as well.
I did not know this.
Just adding there is an elderly couple [no kids] in my street that we are casual friends with and they are moving to a holiday area 4 hours away.
[I'm a collector] She recently she gave me a cake tin full of coins and things she had bought from the mint.
I told her no but she came back at me and said they have no one to leave them to and along with them moving and down sizing.
I will need a day or two just to go through the stuff and categorize everything..
Super nice people.
thenetwork said:
Clifford Chambers said:
Make a will.
The solicitor who made up my will told me to tell everyone in the will what they are getting and things you want done at the funeral if required.Also tell them where the will is stored. [in a fire proof container][the solicitor keeps a copy too]
That solicitor told me they go through the papers everyday looking at the obituaries for any clients. The government has something for this as well.
I did not know this.
Just adding there is an elderly couple [no kids] in my street that we are casual friends with and they are moving to a holiday area 4 hours away.
[I'm a collector] She recently she gave me a cake tin full of coins and things she had bought from the mint.
I told her no but she came back at me and said they have no one to leave them to and along with them moving and down sizing.
I will need a day or two just to go through the stuff and categorize everything..
Super nice people.
Does anyone know who posts an obituary if there is no family and does someone come along and break in to the house after the body has been taken away.
It sounds like good money for a solicitor in sorting out things like assetts, money, pension payments, houses and cars.
Perhaps I shouldn't care, no longer my problem, just a bit of a beggar when you have had a lifetime of gathering around you things that you like.
BT Summers said:
Perhaps I shouldn't care, no longer my problem, just a bit of a beggar when you have had a lifetime of gathering around you things that you like.
It is worth caring - without a will and no close relations the government get it all unless someone tracks down your cousins.I think the govt publish a list of people who die without a will and no relations, which is where Heir hunters get their leads from.
With a will you can, as you said, leave it to charity.
BT Summers said:
This thread interests me, I am last of the line, I have some distant cousins that I have never met and don't even know their names apart from one who is a criminal. I would rather leave it all to charity than dodgy distant relatives.
I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
None of our business, but just over a week ago you posted how your new boiler is loud enough to wake Mrs Summers?I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
caziques said:
That's the New Zealand version.This is the UK version
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bona-v...
595Heaven said:
BT Summers said:
This thread interests me, I am last of the line, I have some distant cousins that I have never met and don't even know their names apart from one who is a criminal. I would rather leave it all to charity than dodgy distant relatives.
I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
None of our business, but just over a week ago you posted how your new boiler is loud enough to wake Mrs Summers?I have no idea as to how the banks or pension companies would get to be told, do they just continue making payments, I don;t know how someone comes to cliam the house and how they could sell the house if it wasnt in their name
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