State of Nevada Takes the Estate: Escheat
If you die without a will or trust, your property should go to various next of kin specified by statute. However, if no next of kin comes forward--and this could happen even if there were a will which was not discovered--the property will go to the State of Nevada. The word to describe this happening is "escheat."
If a decedent's property escheats to the State of Nevada, the next of kin have six years in which to file a Petition in District Court in Carson City, Nevada, to claim that the escheat to the State of Nevada was a mistake and that there really are next of kin.
The escheat of decedent's property to the State of Nevada is public record. Typically, some folks, who may call themselves "probate researchers" take note of these escheats and try to find the next of kin. Typically, the "probate researcher" might offer to get the next of kin the property for a fee of 1/3 of the property recovered. You can imagine that some people contacted in error might dishonestly claim that the dead person was their long lost relative. Therefore, the State of Nevada wants some real proof before deciding whether or not to contest the Petition to get the money back from the State of Nevada.
There is no need to pay a 1/3 fee to recover money that has escheated to the State of Nevada. Our law firm has handled this type of matter in the past and will be glad to do so in the future for a reasonable flat fee based on the facts involved.