0:00:02 > 0:00:06Every year, thousands of people die without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11If no relatives come forward, then their estates will go to the government.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Keeping this money in the family is a job for the Heir Hunters.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32On today's programme...
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Can the travelling Heir Hunters keep up with the pace in the office?
0:00:38 > 0:00:43Dave, it's David here in the office. I need to speak to you as soon as possible.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47We've got another address. I'd like you to go round as soon as possible.
0:00:47 > 0:00:54And the Heir Hunters are contacted by the neighbours of a derelict house which is causing them grief.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58We got the council involved because it kept getting broken into.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03There were hypodermic syringes and all things like that. It was terrible.
0:01:03 > 0:01:09Plus, we'll have information on some of the hundreds of estates still waiting to be claimed.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Could you be in line for a windfall?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Two-thirds of people in the UK don't have a valid will
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and therefore no record of their last wishes.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30If they die before they've made one and no next of kin are found, their money goes to the government
0:01:30 > 0:01:35who last year alone made a whopping £18 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38That's where the Heir Hunters step in.
0:01:38 > 0:01:46- Pleased to meet you.- More than 30 heir-hunting companies make it their business to find long-lost relatives
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and it can be rewarding for the unsuspecting heirs.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54In the last ten years alone, one of the oldest companies in Britain, Fraser & Fraser,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58has enabled a staggering £100 million to be inherited.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- Good morning, Pat.- Morning. - It's Thursday, the office's busiest day of the week.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15The Treasury has published its latest list of unclaimed estates,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20so the team have been up early hunting for cases worth pursuing further.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Company partner Neil Fraser homed in on the estate of Peter Hollins.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29We can be looking at an estate value of £150,000 to possibly £300,000,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32certainly a good, valuable case,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35so we will get straight on to that.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41A valuable case like this will attract competition, so the team need to work quickly.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Who's got the Hollins job?
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Initial investigations show that Peter Hollins died aged 70
0:02:53 > 0:02:56in his home in Croydon, Surrey.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01His friend Tom first met him over 35 years ago at a party.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08With people around him, he was very bubbly, a very bubbly man, very entertaining.
0:03:08 > 0:03:14He loved people round for dinner. That was one of the main things he loved to do. He loved to cook.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19Um...parties. But underneath all this, he was very, very lonely.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Peter never married and as he died without leaving a will,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28his estate, which could be worth as much as £300,000,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32will go into the Treasury's coffers unless heirs are found.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Researcher Simon is put on to the case.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Immediately, he starts looking for the all-important birth record.
0:03:41 > 0:03:48Simon knows this is his most important task of the day so far, but already it's not going well.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51For our deceased, we can't find a birth for him.
0:03:51 > 0:03:57If the address we've got is correct, he should have been born in the March quarter of 1939.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01And there isn't one that we can find.
0:04:01 > 0:04:07We're trying a few variations, otherwise, potentially, he was adopted.
0:04:07 > 0:04:14Without a birth certificate, it is virtually impossible for the team to build up a family tree
0:04:14 > 0:04:18as they will be unable to verify the names of Peter's parents.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Hitting brick walls in the office, they start to explore other avenues.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28We're going to deploy Dave Hadley.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33He's going to head down there, do an enquiry, speak to some of the neighbours.
0:04:33 > 0:04:40There's not very much on the phone at the moment, so we'll see where that leads us. Dave's our key man.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48Ex-police officer Dave Hadley is one of several travelling Heir Hunters based up and down the country
0:04:48 > 0:04:54who are just waiting for a call to be dispatched wherever the case takes them.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00They play an invaluable role, picking up vital birth, death and marriage certificates,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04as well as gathering information from neighbours,
0:05:04 > 0:05:08but their key job is signing up heirs ahead of the competition.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11With nothing concrete to go on in the office,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15it's down to Dave to see if he can uncover information about Peter.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19The idea is to speak to neighbours, speak to friends,
0:05:19 > 0:05:24see what they can tell me about the individual
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and get some idea of how big the estate is,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33where he was born, whether he was married, whether he had children.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38The name of his parents if I can get it, brothers and sisters, this type of thing.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42As Dave tries to get information for a family tree out on the road...
0:05:44 > 0:05:48..back in the office, the team decide to look into other options.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The absence of a birth record for Peter may mean he was adopted,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56so the team start to investigate this possibility further.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02Being adopted is the same as having a total blood transfusion. You form part of your new family.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07The blood family we are now looking for are the adopted family, the father and mother.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12But if Peter was adopted, this could potentially delay their search.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Adoptions are indexed by the parents' married surnames only,
0:06:16 > 0:06:21so there are no Christian or, more importantly, maiden names on these records.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26The only way to acquire these names is via the adoption certificate,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30but these records can take 24 hours to arrive, so in the meantime,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34they'll need to go down a different route.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37We're going to try and do a lot more enquiries
0:06:37 > 0:06:40and try and work back the address of Peter
0:06:40 > 0:06:43and see if we can get a name.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48If we can get one person living with him at one time, we may be able to get a Christian name
0:06:48 > 0:06:54to be able to work out either the mother or the father, and therefore we can roll from that.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The team discover that Peter lived in the same house for many years,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02so Simon goes through all the records connected to the property
0:07:02 > 0:07:08to see if there is anyone else associated with it, and one name keeps cropping up.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10A Rose Florence Moon.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Born in 1901.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17It's all a bit of spec on the basis that it was an adoption.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21We can't be 100% sure that Rose is the mother of the deceased.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25It just looks the most likely marriage to go with...
0:07:25 > 0:07:30Although everything points towards Rose Moon being Peter's mother,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34until they get it confirmed, the team can still only speculate.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40They need hard evidence and are relying on travelling Heir Hunter Dave Hadley to come up with it.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Right, we've arrived at the address. It looks like a private house.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50I'm going to knock at the neighbours first.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55On a case like this, any clues the neighbours can give will be invaluable.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01- I'm making enquiries about Peter, Peter Hollins that lived at Number 12.- Yeah.- Did you know him at all?
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- I only know him... - As a neighbour?- Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09Do you know where he was born, was he adopted or anything like that?
0:08:09 > 0:08:14- We heard that he was adopted.- Right. - I know he came here 30 years ago.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- Did he? - Yeah, he lived here for 30 years.
0:08:17 > 0:08:24- You don't know if he had any children?- He definitely had no children because he was gay.- Right.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Dave is already starting to build up a picture of Peter's life
0:08:29 > 0:08:33which, according to his friend Tom, is pretty accurate.
0:08:33 > 0:08:40He was brought up in a time when being gay was quite taboo.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And not accepted, nowhere near to what it is now.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48And I think this reflected in his personality.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53I think this is probably why he was so withdrawn, if you like,
0:08:53 > 0:08:59because he was obviously worried about people's response about being gay.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Peter lived a lonely life and never found his soul mate.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The trouble with Peter was he used to...
0:09:09 > 0:09:12He used to set his expectations high.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16He used to see a personality, a good-looking man on television
0:09:16 > 0:09:19and he wanted to be with somebody like that.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25I used to say to him, "Peter, you've got to set your standards a little lower, if you like,
0:09:25 > 0:09:30"because if you take that attitude, you're never going to get anybody."
0:09:30 > 0:09:32And sadly, that was the case. He didn't.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Peter became more isolated as he got older
0:09:38 > 0:09:44and towards the end of his life, he refused to see anyone, even his close friend Tom.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50He told no-one about his last wishes, so the search for his beneficiaries goes on.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55We're trying to find relatives for Peter. Do you know what his parents' names were?
0:09:55 > 0:09:58- Rose.- Definitely Rose?- Rose. - That's great.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04- That's what we thought. Rose Moon? - That's it.- Lovely. Thank you very much. That's confirmed it.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It's the breakthrough they've been after.
0:10:07 > 0:10:14Dave's street enquiries have been able to confirm Peter's mother was as they suspected - Rose Moon.
0:10:14 > 0:10:20So finally, back in the office, the team are able to start to draw up a family tree.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Senior case manager David Pacifico comes on board.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27As Peter was Rose's only child,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31they need to look towards the extended family for heirs.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37Investigations show that Rose was the daughter of Charles Moon and Ada Penfold.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40They had two other children, Herbert and Leslie.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Herbert was married twice, but died without any children.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Leslie had two daughters, Josephine and Christina.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Christina died without having children,
0:10:53 > 0:10:58so it appears that Josephine is the only heir on this stem, but there is a snag.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Born in Croydon, she now lives up in Angus in Scotland
0:11:01 > 0:11:05and unfortunately, the office has no travellers based up there.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12Neil can only phone her, but he's not the only heir-hunting company in contact with her this morning.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Take care. Goodbye.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21She has been contacted by the competition. They phoned her very early this morning.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25They are going to visit her. I do not want to visit her as well.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31I don't think it's fair to put the family under undue pressure to sign any agreement.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36This time, Neil has decided to go for the softly, softly approach and only write to the heir.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42But he knows he is taking a risk as the heir may end up signing with the competition.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48The office's painstaking detective work may have led them to their first heir,
0:11:48 > 0:11:55but further digging by Simon shows that Josephine might not be the only heir on the Moon side after all.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01Although their initial investigations showed that Herbert Moon didn't have any children,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Simon has now discovered that he had a son Desmond from his first marriage.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12So we have another heir on the Moon side which we didn't know about,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15so there's now more than one stem that are entitled.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Hopefully, we might be the first to this one.
0:12:19 > 0:12:25With competition hot on their heels, it's vital that the team get to Desmond first.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30David Pacifico finds an address for him and puts in a call to Dave.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Dave, it's David here in the office. I need to speak to you.
0:12:33 > 0:12:39Looks like we've got another address. I would like you to go round as soon as possible.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Coming up - as the hunt for heirs hots up,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46things aren't as straightforward as they first appear.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49When did he die?
0:12:56 > 0:13:02Research into cases advertised by the Treasury is only one part of Fraser & Fraser's business.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Some estates are referred to them directly from members of the public.
0:13:08 > 0:13:15In November 2009, Neil Fraser was told of a vacant property falling into disrepair.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21It's an estate which came from a slightly different source for us.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26It came from someone who lives in the neighbourhood and referred the property to us,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29not the deceased's estate.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33They're interested in us trying to find out who owned the house
0:13:33 > 0:13:39and from who owned the house, where they are now and if they're going to do anything about it.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Value-wise, I think we're looking at probably in the region of £200,000.
0:13:44 > 0:13:51When we look at the street, the house stands out. It's the only one with boards up on the windows.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57It's the only one with a garage next door which looks like it's falling down and it's certainly unpainted.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02So it stands out as being the eyesore in the road
0:14:02 > 0:14:09and you can understand now why the neighbour or the neighbours around wanted to sort out this house.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17The house is a three-bedroomed, semi-detached property in Birmingham.
0:14:19 > 0:14:25Part of a 1930s development, the house has been vacant for over two years
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and is in a very shabby condition.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Next-door neighbour Robert Fereday has always found the area peaceful,
0:14:31 > 0:14:36but recently, the house next door has become a constant nuisance.
0:14:37 > 0:14:44We got the council involved because of the break-ins. It kept getting broken into all the time.
0:14:44 > 0:14:51The council came along, we went in there and there was hypodermic syringes all over the floor.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56I don't know what it was used for, but they were breaking in on a regular basis.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00It's awful because you don't know what's going on.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04You hear a noise in the night. They would come over the fence into here.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10We're completely vulnerable at the back. At one stage, it was every other week. It was terrible.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Robert had reached the end of his tether as he had heard nothing
0:15:15 > 0:15:19about how much longer it might sit vacant for,
0:15:19 > 0:15:24so he contacted the Heir Hunters to see what they could do.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28It's important for us to identify who owns the property.
0:15:28 > 0:15:35It's owned by two different people which gives us a slight headache to start with. It's shared ownership.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40In this case, we got some enquiries that it was about a John Ashby.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45When we get the document, it says actually, "John Durham Jocelyn Ashby,"
0:15:45 > 0:15:51so straight away, we've been able to extend his name out by giving two extra middle names,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54which makes it very easy to identify.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00John Ashby was the last resident at the address
0:16:00 > 0:16:05and Robert knew him well before he passed away in April 2007.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11John was a very private man. He liked his snooker. We used to talk snooker quite a bit.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17If you went out with him socially, which I did on a couple of occasions, I went to his club, he was fine.
0:16:17 > 0:16:23He was very talkative, but round the houses, round here, no, he didn't want to talk.
0:16:24 > 0:16:30One thing John did speak affectionately about was his time in the army.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Friends recount that he worked as an interpreter for a number of years,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38even mentioning working under General Montgomery,
0:16:38 > 0:16:44the man fabled for leading the Allied troops in North Africa against General Rommel in 1942.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49John was said to later have requested a transfer to the Royal Artillery
0:16:49 > 0:16:53where he eventually reached the rank of Major.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58He was in Burma and all those places, you know.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03He served in the war quite a bit.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10As he had died, it would be John's beneficiaries that had an interest in the property,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13so Neil needed to do some more enquiries.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17As far as we're aware at the moment, Mr Ashby didn't leave a will.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22We've still yet to search the property and it may well be in the property
0:17:22 > 0:17:27and there's a few more enquiries which have still got to come back,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32but we cannot find a will, so we treat him as intestate,
0:17:32 > 0:17:37and we draw back his family tree to find the next of kin, as we do on most of our other estates.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43Unlike other cases, however, Neil knew that this property was jointly owned.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49The other owner was a Mr Prior who had also already passed away.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53In Mr Prior's case, a will has already been discovered,
0:17:53 > 0:17:58so his portion is in theory very straightforward to redistribute.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04We know exactly where the property is going to go because he has left a will.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09From that point of view, we will just contact the executors or the beneficiaries
0:18:09 > 0:18:15and we'll make them aware of the existence of an additional asset really.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19However, whilst Mr Ashby's part remained unsolved,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24Number 94, Shirley Road would remain a thorn in the neighbours' side.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Fraser & Fraser decided to investigate properly
0:18:27 > 0:18:34and case manager David Pacifico took over the task of finding heirs to the estate of John Ashby.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39We needed to start somewhere and therefore used our guy in Birmingham, Paul Matthews,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42to see if he could obtain more information,
0:18:42 > 0:18:47as well as obtaining the death certificates and other local enquiries.
0:18:49 > 0:18:55Paul Matthews is a regional Heir Hunter who travels around the country to pick up certificates.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58That's great. Thank you very much.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02And make local enquiries, all in the quest to sign up heirs.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Was that George?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07OK, cheers. Thank you.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12He has made his way to Solihull Register Office to pick up the death certificate.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16It should confirm John's full name, date of birth
0:19:16 > 0:19:20and might even name a close friend of John's as an informant.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28I've now got the certificate of the deceased who is John Durham Jocelyn Ashby.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31We've got an address where he used to live.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34We were hoping for a good informant.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Unfortunately, it's a coroner's job,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42so, basically, there's no informant on this one and we can't get it at this moment in time.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47So we'll have to go to the property where the deceased used to live.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It's not all we wanted, but it's a start.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56A coroner informs on a death when the cause is unclear, sudden or even suspicious.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59John died of a coronary heart disease,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03exacerbated by bronchopneumonia and infected sores.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09Although initially uncertain, the inquest established that this was the result of natural causes.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15Unfortunately for the Heir Hunters, a coroner rarely knows the deceased personally,
0:20:15 > 0:20:20so this information will be of little help to their investigation.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24However, research in the office led by Gareth Langford progressed
0:20:24 > 0:20:28as they found records indicating who John's parents were.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32What we were looking at was we had an Edgar Ashby and a Nora Badham.
0:20:32 > 0:20:38Once we had established the parents' marriage, we had to see if the deceased had any brothers or sisters.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It turns out he did - Hugh. Hugh was born in 1926 in West Bromwich.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48Unfortunately, it looks like he died a bachelor and he didn't have any issue,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51so from our point of view, that was a dead end for us.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Neither John nor his brother Hugh ever married.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03They remained close to each other and lived around the corner from one another for most of their lives.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08A lady who knew them both for over 25 years was Dallas.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12They were two very different people.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Physically, and their attitude.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17But they always did things together.
0:21:17 > 0:21:23If one had come down here, the other one would come down here. They always did things together.
0:21:23 > 0:21:29The thing I remember most about both of them is Hugh complaining to me
0:21:29 > 0:21:34that John wasn't domestic, not domesticated in any way.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38So Hugh used to go home whenever he could
0:21:38 > 0:21:44to at least maintain the front garden because he worried about the neighbours.
0:21:44 > 0:21:49That wasn't important in John's life. He was his own person.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Quite happy to be doing what he wanted to do.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59John might not have put a high value on appearances, but as well as being a major in the army,
0:21:59 > 0:22:05he was an accountant by trade, so Dallas never expected his final affairs to be so disorganised.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10I'm very surprised that John, who struck me as being efficient,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16didn't make his will, but then maybe, particularly after Hugh died,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19he would have been on his own.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Maybe he didn't feel that he knew what to do
0:22:23 > 0:22:28or what sort of will... what he was wanting to do.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35As neither John nor Hugh had any children, the office had to look for cousins or their descendants
0:22:35 > 0:22:38to find heirs on the estate.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44Back in Birmingham, Paul has made his way to the house where John lived.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48His first port of call is to visit next door neighbour Robert
0:22:48 > 0:22:53to see if he can shed any more light on John's estate or family.
0:22:53 > 0:22:59I came to see your husband about the house next door. Can you spare us a few minutes?
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Got the grandkids in?
0:23:02 > 0:23:07See, what happened was there were two brothers, both willed each other.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12One died first leaving everything to his brother.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Then before it was all done, before he changed his will, he died.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21- So the two brothers died. - So in effect there's no will at all.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26It turns out John did leave a will and left everything to Hugh.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Unfortunately, Hugh died in 2005 so the will is invalid
0:23:31 > 0:23:36as there are no provisions for what happens in the event of his death.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41It is, after all, an intestacy case so Fraser's need to find heirs.
0:23:41 > 0:23:47Robert has also mentioned that when Hugh died, he left everything to John
0:23:47 > 0:23:51so all of his possessions, including a house, will add to John's estate.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- So basically the brother has left John a property.- That's right.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01And John was an accountant, a major in the army, never married.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Oh, right...
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- So you think it's a large estate. - I think so.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12This is an important new piece of information. John's estate now comprises of two houses
0:24:12 > 0:24:19and other possessions, so it's currently estimated to be worth £500,000.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25With such a valuable case unsolved, the heir hunters desperately need to find uncles and aunts
0:24:25 > 0:24:27who might have had children.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31The focus of the investigation has switched back to the office.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Can Gareth find an heir or will the £500,000 estate go to the government?
0:24:45 > 0:24:50For every case that is cracked, many thousands remain a mystery.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56When someone dies, their assets are kept for up to 30 years
0:24:56 > 0:25:02in the hope that, ultimately, someone will remember and come forward to claim their legacy.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08The estates can range wildly in value from £5,000 to many millions
0:25:08 > 0:25:12with the rightful heirs unaware of the windfall they could claim.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Today we've got two cases heir hunters have failed to solve.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21Could you have the answer? Maybe you're entitled to a windfall.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29James Mackin Currie Hutchison died in Bristol on 6th July, 1999.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33So far, every effort to find his rightful heir has failed,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37but could you be in line for a share of his legacy?
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Paul Jules passed away on 12th May, 2001
0:25:43 > 0:25:47in Stepney Green, East London. Do you recognise his name?
0:25:47 > 0:25:54Did he live in your neighbourhood? Maybe you're even related to him and one of his heirs.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59If no next of kin are found for James Hutchison or Paul Jules,
0:25:59 > 0:26:05their cash will go to the government, but could it be meant for you?
0:26:10 > 0:26:16Heir hunting company Fraser and Fraser has been looking into the case of Peter Hollins.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21He died in 2009, leaving behind an estate that could be worth
0:26:21 > 0:26:25anywhere between £150,000 and £300,000.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33But this will end up in the Treasury's coffers unless his rightful beneficiaries are found.
0:26:33 > 0:26:40As Peter was adopted, the team initially found it tricky to trace his family tree.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43I can't see any Peter D Hollins.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47But by pulling together evidence discovered door to door,
0:26:47 > 0:26:52the team were able to establish who Peter's adoptive parents were
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and started to look towards his extended family for heirs.
0:26:56 > 0:27:05Now Dave is searching for the final pieces of the puzzle and heads to the last known address of a cousin.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07- It's not good news.- When did he die?
0:27:07 > 0:27:13Unfortunately, Desmond passed away earlier this year, but he had four sons.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18One lives at this address, but is at work. Another son is on his way.
0:27:19 > 0:27:26As Desmond has died, his share of Peter's estate passes on to his four sons
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and so all Dave can do now is wait.
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Meanwhile, back in the office, senior case manager David Pacifico has been relentless
0:27:37 > 0:27:40in searching the paternal side.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Haven't had a stop for a drink yet!
0:27:45 > 0:27:51Investigations show that Peter's father Frederick was was the son of Frances Hollins and Edith Simmons.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54They had eight children in total,
0:27:54 > 0:28:00so David is painstakingly looking for their children as they would all be potential heirs.
0:28:00 > 0:28:08I'm looking for the descendants of this Doris Irene Hill, formerly Hollins, who married back in 1919.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14We're still not certain how many children they had. We're certain of one son called Frederick.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18They may well have had a daughter, Kathleen.
0:28:18 > 0:28:25While David Pacifico continues in the office, back on the road David number two has just finished
0:28:25 > 0:28:30a successful meeting with one of Peter's first cousins once removed.
0:28:30 > 0:28:36We had a good interview. He's given me a little bit of information about one of his brothers
0:28:36 > 0:28:40and I've got an appointment to see another brother tomorrow.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46So it was really useful and it went really well. He's happy to sign an agreement.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49I'll pass that to the office.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57Dave will return to Desmond's house later to meet another heir.
0:28:57 > 0:29:03Due to all of his hard work on the road, back in the office things are now coming together, too.
0:29:03 > 0:29:09We've been quite lucky because of the surname, the Hollins surname.
0:29:09 > 0:29:15With that, it's enabled us to speculatively find the deaths of the parents.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19We found the deaths of the parents and got on to the family
0:29:19 > 0:29:24and they've been able to confirm about Peter being adopted.
0:29:24 > 0:29:30David Pacifico has been working through the paternal side of the family tree
0:29:30 > 0:29:34and has just got hold of one of Peter's cousins.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37That's a very interesting call.
0:29:37 > 0:29:44She had two siblings. Frederick, who died in Aberdeen - that's why we couldn't pick him up for certain -
0:29:44 > 0:29:49who has got a son living up there in Aberdeen. We'll get his address.
0:29:49 > 0:29:55And a sister Joan. She's had no contact for some 40-odd years.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59It seems Joan didn't want to know about her family and disappeared.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02So we've got to track her down.
0:30:05 > 0:30:11Doris Hollins married Frederick Hill and had three children, Peter's first cousins.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15They will all be entitled to a share of the estate.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22By speaking to Kathleen, David has discovered that Frederick's share will be passed down to his son
0:30:22 > 0:30:27but the whereabouts of their sister Joan remains a mystery.
0:30:29 > 0:30:35The team will need to find her, though, as she, like Peter's other heirs, could be in line
0:30:35 > 0:30:37for a life-changing sum of money.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Being conservative, and without really looking into it,
0:30:41 > 0:30:48I'd hope for a value of around £200,000. £200,000 over the five stems is £40,000 per stem.
0:30:48 > 0:30:55On two of them there's only one beneficiary, so it's a pretty good situation for them.
0:30:57 > 0:31:02With all the twists and turns and the sheer number of heirs,
0:31:02 > 0:31:06they have to take the case into a second day.
0:31:11 > 0:31:19So early the next morning Neil gets another travelling heir hunter, Ewart Lindsay, on the road.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25He's off to see one of Peter's cousins, Kathleen.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31I've got an appointment to see an heir, a first cousin to the deceased on the paternal side of this case.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37I'm hoping I'll be on time.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39The traffic's looking pretty good.
0:31:39 > 0:31:46Also out and about this morning is another one of the team's experienced probate researchers.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Mr Moon? Hello. David Hadley. Pleased to meet you.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55Dave signed up one of Peter's heirs yesterday, his cousin Desmond's son,
0:31:55 > 0:32:01- and now hopes to get another one onside.- I work for a company called Fraser and Fraser.
0:32:01 > 0:32:06We're probate researchers. We trace missing heirs and beneficiaries.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12So we picked up a case yesterday of a gentleman that passed away in Croydon earlier this year.
0:32:12 > 0:32:19- We believe that you and your brothers are related to this person through your father.- Right.
0:32:19 > 0:32:26While Dave Hadley is passing on news of a potential windfall to an unsuspecting relative,
0:32:26 > 0:32:32in the office the team's detective work has solved the mystery of Kathleen's long-lost sister.
0:32:33 > 0:32:39Case manager Frances Brett calls Ewart to pass on the news.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43- The heir I'm going to see now, this is her sister?- That's right.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47- And she dies in Kent as Raeburn. - Right.
0:32:47 > 0:32:55When you get there, you'll be able to tell her that we have established that her sister Joan is dead.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Right.
0:32:57 > 0:33:03Ewart now has the unenviable task of passing this sad news on to Kathleen.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Meanwhile in south London, Dave's finished a meeting with Christopher.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12- Any questions, just give us a bell. - Will do.- Thank you. Bye bye.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Right, well, I've just finished an interview with Christopher Moon.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19It was a good interview, actually.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24'He confirmed a lot of the information that we'd already got.'
0:33:24 > 0:33:30Didn't have any new information for me, but we're pretty much up to date on the tree.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35And he's agreed to sign an agreement with us. So it was a successful day.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42140 miles away in Nottinghamshire, Ewart arrives at Kathleen's home
0:33:42 > 0:33:48- and his first task is to pass on his news. - Before I start interviewing you,
0:33:48 > 0:33:54seeing as we are talking about your brother and it is going to go on to your sister,
0:33:54 > 0:34:00- I know you wanted to find out what's happened to your sister.- Yes.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05I've just been told that she has passed away.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10- Oh, really?- Yeah. 2004. - Right.- OK?- Yes.
0:34:10 > 0:34:17We're not too sure at the moment if she had any children, but she got married when she was about 21.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22I think she possibly did remarry as she died under a different name.
0:34:22 > 0:34:29- Right.- But we're not too sure about children. That's what we're looking into. OK?- Right.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35Before discussing the inheritance, Ewart puts in a quick call to the office
0:34:35 > 0:34:40to double check if there isn't any more information he can pass on.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46While he has been travelling to visit her, the office has been working hard to find out
0:34:46 > 0:34:50if Joan had any children, as they would also have a claim.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53They've found out she had a son
0:34:54 > 0:35:01This is not the only interesting information about Joan that the team are eager for Ewart to pass on.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Yes, I will, I will.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Em, Mrs Shepperton,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12we have now established that your sister did indeed have a son.
0:35:12 > 0:35:17- Yeah. One son just...? - One son, yeah.- Right.- Yes.
0:35:17 > 0:35:22- From her second marriage.- Oh, right. - To a Mr Raeburn.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23Raeburn.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28And it looks like she was actually a Lady when she died.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36Kathleen's sister rejected her family after she married Edward Raeburn,
0:35:36 > 0:35:42the 3rd Baronet of Helensburgh. Kathleen had no idea that Joan had married nobility
0:35:42 > 0:35:47or had had children, so the news that she has a nephew comes out of the blue.
0:35:47 > 0:35:53It's made me feel a lot better. I don't feel so lonely and so alone in the world,
0:35:53 > 0:35:58as if there's just me and no one else about,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02no one I can maybe contact if they ever want to contact me.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05It's a very nice surprise.
0:36:05 > 0:36:06Very.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12Unfortunately, Kathleen never met her cousin Peter,
0:36:12 > 0:36:17but his legacy means not only that she is in line for a windfall,
0:36:17 > 0:36:23but maybe she will now get a chance to meet a nephew she never knew existed.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27It will be like having someone of my own, which I've never had,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31except for my son and my daughter-in-law.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Oh, it would be magical.
0:36:34 > 0:36:40It's been a busy couple of days, especially for the travelling heir hunters out on the road.
0:36:40 > 0:36:47Their investigations and detective work have been instrumental in solving this case.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50'You know,'
0:36:50 > 0:36:55it's quite pleasing to know that we've actually now put...
0:36:55 > 0:37:00..her in touch with her nephew, her sister's child,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04who she'd never known existed. It's fabulous.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Fraser and Fraser have been referred the case of John Ashby
0:37:20 > 0:37:25by a neighbour who was worried about the derelict house he lived in.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27It's been terrible for a long time,
0:37:27 > 0:37:31but it's getting progressively worse in this bad state.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35One of these days, the whole lot will come down.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40The value of the estate is estimated to be a staggering £500,000
0:37:40 > 0:37:45and comprises not one, but two properties in Birmingham.
0:37:45 > 0:37:51It was really a big estate and therefore important for us to trace any of the blood heirs.
0:37:51 > 0:37:57Research director Gareth Langford has been leading the team who built up the family tree.
0:37:57 > 0:38:04His mother's maiden name, Badham, that's a brilliant surname. We were quite excited about that.
0:38:04 > 0:38:10Ashby isn't the best of names, but Badham, that's an amazing name to look up.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17A good name can make the difference between solving a case in two years or two hours.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Gareth had hit the jackpot.
0:38:20 > 0:38:26When you have a good surname, it makes things a lot easier. We're looking at a lot less records.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30If you had the surname Smith, there's a lot of records.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34Ashby is quite a good surname. Badham is exceptionally good.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38The marriage was in Islington, which was completely out of area,
0:38:38 > 0:38:44but it was the only Ashby-Badham marriage, so we felt sure that was the correct one.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49John was the son of Nora Badham and Edgar Ashby.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53The research team already knew that John had a brother, Hugh.
0:38:53 > 0:38:59However, he died without having children, so the next port of call was to find uncles or aunts.
0:38:59 > 0:39:06With a name like Badham to work with, it wasn't long before Gareth found just what he was looking for.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12The next step was to look for the census of the mother. We quickly found that.
0:39:12 > 0:39:19She was living with her parents and two siblings. On the 1901 census, they were called Richard and Jack.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Because the surname was so good, Badham,
0:39:25 > 0:39:32we weren't confused by the names on the census, so that gave us something to work with.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36We had a good name. I was quite confident we would get an heir.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40It was just a question of doing the research.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46The office discovered that the Badham children spread across the world in later life,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50with Jack eventually passing away in the Bahamas a bachelor.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56Richard married Doris Courtney in Lewisham before settling in Brighton to have two children,
0:39:56 > 0:40:01but despite their adventurous lives, it was never a problem to track them down.
0:40:01 > 0:40:07With regard to the research, it was relatively straightforward, even though they moved around.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11We didn't miss anything. There was no problem with research.
0:40:11 > 0:40:17So it was quite satisfying. A dream case. Perfect case, really.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22One of John's cousins was Trevor Badham. However, he had already passed away.
0:40:22 > 0:40:28So Gareth's research led to his two children, Katy and her brother.
0:40:28 > 0:40:34They are John's cousins, once removed, and will both inherit a share of John's estate.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40I was surprised to get a call from Fraser and Fraser. It's not the sort of thing you expect,
0:40:40 > 0:40:47but I was more surprised to find out it was John that hadn't left a valid will, as he was an organised chap.
0:40:47 > 0:40:55Katy had met John at many family gatherings, although it was over 10 years since she had seen him last.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01I remember John from my youth. He used to come and visit my parents once or twice a year
0:41:01 > 0:41:07with his brother, Hugh. They always were wearing a suit and tie and were always a little bit serious.
0:41:07 > 0:41:14And they used to come and play bridge with my parents. I remember the two brothers being very, very close.
0:41:14 > 0:41:19I never saw one without the other and always think of them as a pair.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25Over the years, Katy lost touch with both of the brothers.
0:41:25 > 0:41:31After hearing that John had passed away, she also learned that Hugh had died two years before him.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36All of a sudden, it made sense that John did not have a valid will.
0:41:36 > 0:41:42I think after John's brother Hugh died, a part of John probably died as well. They were devoted.
0:41:42 > 0:41:49So I suppose it doesn't really surprise me that for the last two years of his life, he was a lost soul
0:41:49 > 0:41:52and didn't think about that.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56The puzzle of John Ashby's estate has been solved,
0:41:56 > 0:42:02as the heir hunters have successfully tracked down seven beneficiaries in total.
0:42:02 > 0:42:08We're absolutely delighted that we've traced some blood heirs to what is a very large estate.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12It's good news all round, I think.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16Now the case is settled, the heirs can attend to the property
0:42:16 > 0:42:22and John's old neighbours might finally be able to return to a peaceful life.
0:42:22 > 0:42:28I'm more than pleased that they've found relatives. At one time I thought they'd never find anybody
0:42:28 > 0:42:34and it would go on for years, but happily it's all sorted and I'm more than pleased.
0:42:34 > 0:42:41At last we'll be able to get something like normality back and a nice house next door.
0:42:41 > 0:42:47If you would like advice about building your family tree or making a will,
0:42:47 > 0:42:49go to bbc.co.uk.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2010
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk