Losing someone not only brings grief but also responsibilities. If you’ve lost someone recently, whether it was a family member or a dear friend, you might find yourself in need of locating their will. It is a critical document that lets you hear the deceased individual’s final say on how they want their assets and possessions to be handled.
Without a will, many families face confusion, which can lead to conflict and costly legal battles, further highlighting the importance of this document. If you’re wondering how to find a will of a deceased person, our article is here to equip you with actionable insights. Read on to learn how you can find the will of a deceased person.
How to Find a Will of a Deceased Person Online
Before you take any investigative action to dig places, it is best to start looking for the will of a deceased person online. This can save you hours, if not days, because wills become public record once they are filed for probate, meaning the deceased person’s assets are distributed to the people on their will.
Since you want to find the will of a deceased person, there’s a high chance that it has been probated already; therefore, it is public record. You can search probate court records in the area where the deceased person lived to find their will. To do this, first locate the local probate court and find its website. You can then search for the deceased individual’s details to locate their will.
However, most local probate and family courts don’t have a website that enables users to run these kinds of searches. In these cases, your best bet is to use a people search site that searches public databases to locate someone’s will.
For this, we recommend a free people finder like FreePeopleSearch.com. It is a free online people search engine that gathers probate records from local databases to locate someone’s will. All you have to do is enter the deceased person’s name in the search bar, along with their city and state, to run a probate records check. Plus, it is free to use, so you won’t need to pay for it.
How to Find a Will of a Deceased Person: 5 Other Ways
If the will isn’t public record because it hasn’t been found yet, there are other actions you can take to find it. Here are five methods that will help you locate the will of a deceased person.
1) Contact Their Lawyer
The deceased might have left a will with their lawyer, and since wills are a lawyer’s domain, it is likely that they know enough about the deceased’s will. If you don’t know their lawyer, check for legal invoices or bank statements from law firms that might help you discover which lawyer they worked with to write a will.
2) Search Their Personal Belongings
Searching for a deceased person’s belongings might not always feel right, but checking file cabinets or desk drawers where important documents might be kept is one of the best ways to look for a will. A will may not always be obvious, so make sure to check each document thoroughly to be sure.
3) Check for a Safe Deposit Box
Many people leave their will in a safe deposit box at a bank. If you find a key to a safe deposit box or you suspect that the deceased person might have had one, contact the bank to find out. However, note that you might need a court order to have access to it, so you must be a family of the deceased.
4) Search Digital Records
Another common place people store their wills is on their personal computers. Check to see if the deceased has left a will on their computer. When searching for it, try different file names, such as “will” or “legal documents.” Also, search files on the device as well as emails and cloud storage, and if you can’t find anything, filter everything on the device by file type so you have an easier time sifting through documents.
5) Ask Trusted Friends and Family
Sometimes, a trusted friend or a family member might know where the will is kept. Ask the trusted family members and friends of the deceased to locate the will. Even if this doesn’t directly point you to where the will is, it might help you find clues that might be helpful in your search.
Finding a Deceased Person’s Will
Locating a deceased person’s will is an important step in ensuring that their final wishes are respected and their assets and possessions are handled properly. We’ve covered various ways on how to find a will of a deceased person, from conducting an online search to investigating where they might have kept it. Try the methods outlined above to get one step closer to finding the will of a deceased person.
