Family often assumes the responsibility for dealing with things like you are dealing with. The reality is you have neither the responsibility, nor the authority, to do so.
I would caution against doing anything. Eventually heirs could come back and claim you looted the house. You're only taking out the trash, but are you documenting that? Without a will you probably need to file for probate and wait on the court to appoint an executor/trustee.
This is not legal advice. I am not a lawyer. But you should ask one what to do.
I hear you about the legal advice, but it's kind of late for stuff leaving the house.
I have a cousin who was with my uncle when he passed and my uncle told him, verbally, everything was his and do what he wants with it. Apparently, my uncle was advised to make a will in his final days and he refused.
When things started to get expensive, like what to do with the body he, called my aunt and told her she could deal with the nonsense and went back to CA. He took stuff. The other daughter who showed up with perfect timing probably took stuff.
When I got to look in the house, there were garbage bags filled with stuff. My aunt said those weren't there when she was at the house a few weeks before. So who knows what's taken.
From what I understand, in NM it goes like this, spouse, kids, then siblings. He had no spouse, and the kids, out of wedlock, aren't entitled to anything because they don't share his last name. My aunt is his last remaining sibling.
I haven't said anything to my aunt about how to deal with anything except that she needs to talk to an attorney. But she insists that she'd doing it her way. She had to deal with my other aunts assets when she died so she knows what she's doing. I'm not going to argue with her and I'm not getting involved in the legal stuff. She's one of these women where you can't tell them anything - if you know what I mean. I'm just taking her places around the city when I have the tine.
Besides that she's already has plans for everything. She has the the Daffy Duck, "Mine, Mine, Mine, allll Mine!!!" syndrome I'm like "whatever". She already has taken stuff back and she wants all the stuff back that was taken... Good luck with that! She already has plans for the two vehicles... Yeah, "mine, mine"....
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMNPQ35OUc[/ame]
There's only one thing I want from him, my Dad's military insignia. When my dad was discharged from the Army after Korea, he left his uniform at the house they were living at while he went to work for AT&SF Railroad. My dad said that when he went back to get his stuff parts of his uniform were gone. My dad and other brothers knew who took the stuff but didn't have proof.
When my dad died, after the funeral, my uncle came to me and said that he had a half dollar sized scorpion emblem and, the name escapes me, "neckerchief" that is in place if the tie on dress uniforms - I can't think of the proper name. Anyway, he asked me if my dad had something of his and that he was willing to make a trade if I found it... That's all I want.
Anyway, this is going to get highly entertaining especially when it comes to disposing of the house and vehicles.
