http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/granite-city-woman-leaves-behind-million—-but/article_986ed703-922f-599e-80b9-c3fa18ce9e01.html

This is an interesting case.  Because this woman left no clear heirs, her estate is in limbo while the court allows people who claim to be heirs file paperwork to prove it.  The first lesson here is not to leave your estate in limbo.  Draw up a will or a living trust and make it clear who you want to leave your estate to and who you want your executor / trustee to be.  The second lesson, especially if you have family members who are older, is to do so before it’s too late.  As in this case, once a person loses capacity, it is too late to draw up an estate plan.  Most people think about it being too late to draw up an estate plan once a person is dead.  This is an obvious example, but just as often the estate plan was on a person’s To Do list and they have a medical event that creates permanent incapacity.