유언장이 없으신 분들은 이게 궁금하실 수도 있어 구글을 잠시 해 보았습니다. 저는 변호사도 아니고 그냥 구글에 실린 정보를 퍼다 나르는 디지탈 짐꾼이라는걸 감안하시고 읽으시면 되겠습니다.  각 주마다 법이 조금씩 다르지만 일반적으로 유언이 없이 사망을 할 경우 재산의 분배는 다음과 같다고 합니다.

 

1순위 : 고인의 배우자.  부부사이에 미성년 자녀가 있을경우 생존 배우자에게 전액. 성인 자녀가 있을경우 생존 배우자와 성인자녀들에게 법에 정한대로 분배.  배우자가 없이 자녀들만 있을경우 자녀들에게 분배.

 

2순위 : 고인의 배우자가 이미 사망 했거나 자녀가 없을경우 고인의 부모에게 재산을 분배.  고인의 부모가 이미 사망했을경우 고인의 형제 자매에게 분배.  고인의 형제 자매가 사망했을경우 조카들에게 분배.

 

3순위 : 1순위 2순위에 해당하는 가족이 없을 경우 할아버지, 삼촌, 이모, 사촌 등등 친척에게 분배.  전화번호부나 인터넷으로 찾기도 하는데 정말 아무도 없으면 그 재산은 주 정부에 귀속됩.

 

대충 이렇네요.  오역이 있으면 수정바랍니다.  (앞으로 모르는 곳에서 전화와도 혹시...내가 모르던 갑부 친척이 거액의 유산을 내게 남겨두고 ??? 함부로 전화 끊지 맙시다.)

 

 

Inheritance Laws & the Order of Precedence

 

When a person dies without leaving a will, he is said to have died intestate. All states have laws that kick in under these circumstances, and they vary by state. Intestacy laws set out the order of who will inherit the estate of a person who dies without a valid will. The primary residence of the deceased usually determines which state laws apply.

 

Intestate Laws of Inheritance

With no valid will to guide estate distribution, state laws step in. Although the Uniform Probate Code was developed to provide some consistency across state inheritance laws, only parts of the code have been adopted and by a minority of states. Each state's intestacy laws clearly delineate which relatives will inherit a portion of the deceased person’s estate, as well as the percentages they will receive.

 

 

First in Line

 

In almost every case, a surviving spouse will be the first to receive a portion of the estate. If the surviving spouse has only minor children with the deceased person, the surviving spouse will receive the entire estate in most cases. If adult children survive in addition to the spouse, the estate will be split among the surviving spouse and the adult children. The portions each will receive can vary, depending on the state. For example, in Indiana, the surviving spouse receives one-half of the estate and the other half is split evenly among the children. If the spouse is a second or subsequent spouse with no children with the deceased person, the spouse will often receive less than half of the estate. In most cases where there is no spouse and only children, the children will split the estate evenly.

 

 

More Distant Heirs

 

If there is no surviving spouse or children, most state intestacy laws move to the deceased's parents as next in line to inherit. But some states, like Indiana, include the deceased's parents even if there is a surviving spouse and no children. In that case, Indiana law awards the surviving spouse three-fourths of the estate, with one-fourth going to the living parent or parents of the deceased. If the parents are no longer alive, the next heirs are the deceased's siblings. If the search for an heir has gotten this far, nieces and nephews may step into the place of a deceased sibling to inherit that person's share.

 

No One to Be Found

 

The search for someone to inherit a deceased person’s estate can go far and wide, with many states including provisions for grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. State intestacy laws are designed, for the most part, to ensure that a family member will inherit an estate when there is no will to name beneficiaries. The steps required to find heirs vary, but most states require searching the telephone book and Internet, as well as talking to friends or associates who may know about a relative. When an heir cannot reasonably be located, the property in the estate will escheat, or pass, to the state.