Professional Heir Search Services
When an heir, beneficiary, or family member cannot be identified or located, a professional heir search can provide the research and documentation needed to move an estate, trust, probate, or property matter forward.
Von Langen, LLC provides professional heir search services for attorneys, fiduciaries, personal representatives, trustees, public administrators, financial institutions, and other professionals who need to identify, locate, and document missing or unknown heirs.
Our experienced forensic genealogists and investigators conduct heir searches throughout the United States and internationally. Whether a case involves one missing beneficiary or generations of unknown family members, we combine genealogical research, investigative resources, public records, documentary evidence, and an extensive network of researchers to establish family relationships and locate the appropriate parties.
If you need assistance with an heir search, call 561-748-2936 to discuss your case with Von Langen, LLC.
What Is an Heir Search?
An heir search is a specialized investigation conducted to identify and locate individuals who may have a legal interest in an estate, trust, property, or other asset.
The process can involve much more than simply finding someone’s current address.
In cases where heirs are unknown, a professional heir search may require reconstructing multiple generations of a family, identifying descendants of deceased relatives, determining whether individuals are living or deceased, locating surviving family members, and obtaining records that support the relationships discovered through the investigation.
The objective is not merely to find people. It is to develop reliable information that helps establish who the heirs are, where they are located, and how they are related to the decedent or other person at the center of the matter.
When Is an Heir Search Needed?
There are many circumstances in which an attorney, fiduciary, estate representative, trustee, or other professional may need to conduct an heir search.
Probate and Intestate Estates
When someone dies without a valid will, determining the appropriate heirs may require extensive genealogical investigation.
Even when some relatives are known, additional heirs may exist through deceased siblings, half-siblings, prior marriages, distant branches of a family, or relatives who have lost contact with one another.
A professional heir search can help identify and account for the individuals who may have an interest in the estate.
Missing or Unknown Heirs
Sometimes an heir is known to exist but cannot be located. In other cases, even the identity of the potential heirs is uncertain.
Von Langen conducts research to identify unknown heirs and locate missing heirs using genealogical research, investigative techniques, historical and contemporary records, and other appropriate sources.
Missing Beneficiaries
Trustees, attorneys, financial institutions, and fiduciaries may need assistance locating a beneficiary who cannot be found through ordinary means.
Our heir search and beneficiary location services can help locate missing trust beneficiaries, devisees, remaindermen, and other persons who may be entitled to receive assets.
Determination of Heirship
When heirship must be established in connection with a legal proceeding, identifying a person is only part of the assignment.
Von Langen can research family relationships and compile supporting documentation to assist attorneys and fiduciaries with determination-of-heirship matters and due diligence requirements.
Quiet Title and Real Property Matters
Property ownership issues can remain unresolved for decades as interests pass through multiple generations.
An heir search may be necessary to identify or locate descendants and other parties with a potential interest in real property in connection with quiet title actions, clouds on title, and other real estate matters.
Oil, Gas, Mineral and Other Property Interests
Mineral rights and other property interests can pass through generations of a family, resulting in fractional ownership interests held by people who may be difficult to identify or locate.
Forensic genealogy and heir research can help reconstruct these family relationships and locate the individuals who may hold an interest in the property.
Unclaimed Assets
Estates, financial institutions, attorneys, fiduciaries, and other organizations may need to identify or locate individuals entitled to unclaimed funds or other assets.
Professional heir research can help establish the appropriate family lines and locate potential recipients.
Our Heir Search Process
No two heir searches are exactly alike. Some cases can be resolved relatively quickly, while complex matters may require extensive research across multiple generations, jurisdictions, or countries.
Our work generally involves several stages.
1. Review the Known Information
We begin with the information already available concerning the decedent, known relatives, estate, property, or beneficiary.
This allows us to determine what is known, what remains uncertain, and where the investigation should begin.
2. Reconstruct the Family
When necessary, our forensic genealogists reconstruct the relevant branches of the family using available historical and contemporary sources.
Research may involve birth, marriage, death, probate, property, census, obituary, cemetery, court, and other records, depending upon the circumstances of the case and availability of documentation.
3. Identify Potential Heirs
As family relationships are established, we identify individuals who may need to be accounted for.
This process can involve tracing descendants through multiple generations and resolving inconsistencies involving names, dates, relationships, marriages, deaths, and other information.
4. Locate Living Heirs and Beneficiaries
Once the appropriate individuals have been identified, our investigators work to determine their current whereabouts.
Locating an heir can require considerably more investigation than an ordinary internet or database search, particularly when the individual has moved repeatedly, changed names, left the country, or has had little contact with other family members.
5. Verify Relationships and Findings
Accuracy is critical.
Our work is designed not simply to locate individuals but to establish and document the family relationships uncovered during the heir search.
6. Report and Document the Results
Depending upon the requirements of the assignment, Von Langen can provide genealogical charts, reports of findings, contact information, supporting records, proof-of-heirship documentation, affidavits, and other materials appropriate to the case.
Heir Search Services for Attorneys and Fiduciaries
Von Langen has extensive experience assisting professionals responsible for properly administering estates, trusts, property interests, and other assets.
Our clients have included attorneys, public administrators, fiduciaries, trust officers, financial institutions, personal representatives, conservators, and other professionals throughout the United States.
We understand that an heir search performed in connection with an estate or legal proceeding must provide more than names gathered from online databases.
The research must be thorough, the relationships must be carefully evaluated, and the findings must be supported by appropriate documentation.
That distinction is particularly important when the results will be relied upon to distribute assets, provide notice, establish heirship, resolve ownership, or satisfy due diligence requirements.
Domestic and International Heir Search
Families do not always remain in one city, state, or country.
An heir search that begins in the United States may lead to relatives elsewhere in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, or other parts of the world. Conversely, an international estate may require heirs to be identified or located in the United States.
Von Langen maintains access to experienced researchers and investigative resources throughout the United States and around the world, allowing us to pursue complex heir searches across jurisdictional and international boundaries.
Our international heir search capabilities are particularly valuable when family members emigrated generations ago, records are maintained overseas, or potential heirs currently reside outside the United States.
More Than Finding an Heir: Documenting Heirship
There is an important difference between locating someone who appears to be related to a decedent and conducting the research necessary to establish the person’s place within the family.
A name, address, or online family tree does not necessarily establish heirship.
Von Langen approaches heir search assignments as forensic investigations. We seek evidence supporting the family relationships uncovered through our research and identify inconsistencies that require additional investigation.
Depending upon the assignment, our work product may include:
- Detailed genealogical family trees
- Reports of findings
- Identification of known and previously unknown heirs
- Current contact information for located heirs
- Documentary evidence supporting family relationships
- Proof-of-heirship documentation
- Researcher affidavits
- Documentation for due diligence requirements
- Court-admissible exhibits when appropriate
The result is an heir search designed to provide attorneys, fiduciaries, and other professionals with meaningful information they can use in administering the matter.
Experienced Forensic Genealogists
Von Langen, LLC is a family-owned and operated forensic genealogy and private investigative firm.
Founder Cliff von Langen has worked in probate research and forensic genealogy for decades and is court-qualified as an expert in determination-of-heirship proceedings. His background includes serving for 15 years as Vice President of an international probate research firm, earlier work as a senior research genealogist and investigator, and experience as a paralegal working with law firms and title companies.
Senior Investigator Michele Aymond and the Von Langen team bring extensive investigative experience to complex heir and beneficiary matters.
Our team is supported by experienced researchers and resources throughout the United States and internationally.
Why Professionals Choose Von Langen for Heir Searches
When the proper administration of an estate, trust, or property interest depends upon identifying the correct people, accuracy matters.
Clients choose Von Langen because our heir search services emphasize:
Thorough Research
We pursue the family lines and sources necessary to develop a complete picture rather than stopping when the first apparent heir is found.
Independent Findings
Our responsibility is to report what the research and evidence establish, including information that may confirm or refute an alleged heir’s claim.
Documentation
We understand that identifying an heir is often insufficient. Our work can include the documentary evidence and genealogical analysis necessary to support the findings.
Complex Case Experience
We have experience with complicated family structures, distant generations, missing relatives, unknown heirs, international families, and cases in which previous research must be independently reviewed.
Professional Accountability
Von Langen, LLC is a licensed Florida private investigative agency and maintains professional liability insurance for errors and omissions.
Nationwide and International Capabilities
Our network allows us to conduct heir research and investigations throughout the United States and internationally.
Frequently Asked Questions About Heir Searches
What is the difference between an heir search and a people search?
A people search generally attempts to locate a particular person.
An heir search can require determining who should be located in the first place. That may involve reconstructing generations of a family, identifying descendants, determining whether family members are living or deceased, locating surviving relatives, and documenting how each person is related.
How long does an heir search take?
The time required depends upon the complexity of the family, the number of generations involved, the availability of records, the jurisdictions that must be researched, and whether international investigation is necessary.
A relatively straightforward missing-heir search may be resolved quickly, while a complex determination-of-heirship matter can require substantial research.
Can you locate heirs anywhere in the United States?
Yes. Von Langen conducts heir searches throughout the United States and has experience working with attorneys, fiduciaries, financial institutions, and other professionals nationwide.
Can you conduct an international heir search?
Yes. Von Langen handles international heir searches and works with researchers and resources in other countries when an investigation extends beyond the United States.
What if we do not know who the heirs are?
That is precisely when forensic genealogy can become necessary.
Our researchers can begin with the known information about the decedent and reconstruct the appropriate family lines to identify potential heirs and determine which individuals need to be located and documented.
Can you verify research performed by another heir search company?
Yes. Independent review can be important when an estate representative, attorney, or fiduciary needs to verify previously submitted genealogical information or alleged heirship.
Von Langen has experience reviewing existing heirship research, identifying discrepancies, and conducting independent research to determine whether additional heirs or relevant information have been overlooked.
Do you provide proof of heirship?
Depending upon the requirements of the assignment, our work can include genealogical charts, supporting records, reports, affidavits, and other documentation used to substantiate the relationships established through our research.
Who uses professional heir search services?
Our services are used by attorneys, fiduciaries, public administrators, personal representatives, trustees, trust officers, financial institutions, conservators, estate administrators, and other professionals responsible for identifying or locating heirs, beneficiaries, or parties with potential legal or property interests.
Discuss Your Heir Search With Von Langen
If you need to identify unknown heirs, locate a missing heir or beneficiary, establish family relationships, or document heirship, Von Langen, LLC can help.
From straightforward beneficiary location assignments to complex multi-generational and international heir searches, our goal is to provide thorough research, reliable findings, and the documentation necessary to help our clients move their matters forward.
Call Von Langen, LLC at 561-748-2936 for a no-obligation consultation regarding your heir search.
You may also contact us online to discuss your case and request additional information about our professional heir search services.