- 1). Check for obvious hiding places, such as under a mattress, between the pages of a book, desks, filing cabinets, stored boxes, cars and wall or floor safes. Wall and floor safes are often located in closets or garages, and are usually found in places that are not obvious to the casual viewer.
- 2). Search the house for a safe deposit box key. These keys are oversized keys, often aluminum or silver in color and have "Do not duplicate" written on the face of the key.
- 3). Locate the bank or savings papers of the deceased and call the institution to see if there is a safe deposit box rented in the name of the deceased. If you are not listed on the signature card, you may need to obtain a court order to gain access to the box.
- 4). Check the belongings of the deceased to see if there are any cards, cancelled checks or correspondence from a lawyer. Call the law firm to see if they drew up papers or if they referred the deceased to another firm that handles wills.
- 5). Contact friends and business partners of the deceased to see if any were witnesses to the will or if they were involved in discussions about it with the deceased. Address books and email accounts of the departed may have the names of those he was in contact with regularly.
- 6). Find out if the state you are in required the will to be filed at the courthouse as a public record. If so, call the courthouse and ask for the Probate department to see if you can gain access to a copy of the will.
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