Dead for 8 years and no one knew.

[*crikey*mate*]

But now the vultures circle for this poor old lady's estate.

Inquest into forgotten Sydney woman to turn 'ugly'

[purple_haize]

fighting over a will  in court, will cost as well and none of them migh not get anything.

[cherry*135]

Her house is worth $800 000 approx. It is pretty derelict, but it is a terrace house in Sydney CBD. They are worth a fortune even in a derelict state.

[cherry*135]

The issue is the law and what year she died  - whether the sis-in-law gets the inheritance or the neices and nephews.

[cherry*135]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

if she was found in 2011 and had already been dead for 8 years, then I'd estimate that she died in 2003.

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The last time she was seen alive by someone who recognised her was 8 years prior to her body being found. She could have still been alive a year or more after that.

The date of the last electricity bill paid or last withdrawal from her pension might give more clues.

[cherry*135]

Correction to my previous posts.. it is the deceased lady's cousins who stand to inherit (not her neices and nephews) or the sis-in-law, Enid Davis.

The coroner's decision as to the date of Wood's death is crucial to any subsequent claim in the Supreme Court, says wills and estates specialist Darryl Browne. Wood had no will, spouse or children and her parents were long dead. Browne says if she is ruled to have died in 2004, while her brother was alive, any spoils would be likely awarded by the Supreme Court to his estate, of which Enid Davis is the sole beneficiary.

The laws of intestacy changed in 2010. If the date of death remains the day Wood's body was discovered in 2011, after her brother had died, her estate will be likely shared equally between her cousins, as her closest living relatives.

It matters little under the law whether they visited or cared for her while she was alive, Browne says.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/natalie-wood-the-woman-sydney-forgot-20140204-31ywh.html#ixzz2sQlDs0vb

[*crikey*mate*]

If she was still alive in 2008, I wonder what she had been living on.

The Commonwealth Bank and Centrelink, which stopped paying her pension in 2008 after there had been no withdrawals for years, also failed to realise something was amiss, says Detective Constable Andrew Wells in his statement to the coroner.

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''I was shocked like everybody else but I didn't feel emotionally involved because I didn't know the lady,'' he says.

That's from one of the charming cousins who are hovering around her estate.....

At least the sister in law went to her funeral.

=========================================================

And what's the go with centrelink and the CBA?

one or the other discovered she hadn't used her bank account for "years", and no one queried that? I mean, my guess is Centrelink must have started some enquiries when they didn't receive some forms or something and thus discovered her account hadn't been used - and no one asked why?

No one asked why a single lady on an old age pension had stopped using her bank account?

What? They just cut off her money and dusted their hands of her?

If she did die in 2004, then I hope any pension etc payed until 2008 is given back to the govt, just so there is a bit less money for the vultures.

[cherry*135]

Also the Council re unpaid rates. They usually take the home owner to court or can force sale of a house can't they, if rates are unpaid for a long time?

Seems strange that Centrelink, Electricity Co and Council ALL failed to investigate further.

The bro and sis in law had his mother and the deceased to live with them for quite awhile. That can't have been much fun!.

So sis in law only out of  the deceased's life for those 8 years and she did try and find her, by seeking police assitance on two occasions.

By the looks of it her brother and his wife never had any children either?

[ca04]

Centrelink and the Electricity co should have noticed something was amiss.

 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Auto payments which would cover council rates also.

auto out & welfare in would keep the bank acount active.

Just so easy to be out of sight.

[cherry*135]

I don't think they are vultures. If they are her only living relatives they are entitled to an inheritance. They must all be around 80 yrs old.

Although in the SMH there is mention of a cousin from Canberra, who said had visited her years ago, and walked down her street in 2005, but as the house looked unlived in he didn't bother knocking on the door. It said he was not putting in a claim. He went to her funeral with the sis in law. (only 2 there).

Crikey or anyone else here, if you heard some reclusive relative of yours died (that you hadn't even reallly heard of) and  thye had $800 000 worth of property, plus $80 000 cash.. would you put in a claim if you were advised you were one of her closest living relatives?

[lyndal1838]

If it were me I would put in a claim and if successful I would donate it to a charity...preferably one that cares for old people with no relatives.

Better that than it going to the government who obviously didn't give a rats about someone who just "disappeared" off their (Centrelink) radar.