A woman named Cathy Boone died in a shelter in January 2020. Prior to her death, Cathy battled with mental and drug issues.
Cathy died homeless while $884,000 in inheritance money sat unclaimed in a state bank. Cathy's dad, Jack Spithall, said "It just didn't make any sense to me. That money just sitting there—and she needed help in the worst way."
Cathy grew up near Portland, Oregon but later moved to Astoria where her mother lived. When Cathy's mom died, the representatives of her estate tried to reach Cathy, but were unsuccessful.
The representatives went as far as using newspaper ads and a private investigator to find Cathy but could not locate her.
A spokesperson for the Department of State Lands stated:
"Given a year and a half of effort taken by the personal representative and the attorney for this particular estate, there really isn’t much more that the state could do. This is a unique case and we sympathize with the family."
This article originally appeared on Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog.
