Recent Blog Posts
National Guardianship Network Launches New Website Promoting the Good Works of Guardians
The National Guardianship Network, a group committed to promoting good practices among guardians, has recently launched a website dedicated to telling the stories of the work guardians do to protect their wards and keeping its members updated on state guardianship laws. Learn more about the site below, as well as the ways that a… Read More »
Clark County, Nevada Welcomes New Public Administrator
Von Langen LLC congratulates the newly-installed Clark County Public Administrator, Robert Telles, on his position. Mr. Telles was elected to replace John J. Cahill, who served faithfully as Clark County’s public administrator for over a decade before retiring from the post in 2018. Public administrators play an important role in settling the estates of… Read More »
Cost-Effective Research Reveals Substantial Family Information
Investigations into the backgrounds of deceased persons regularly reveal surprising facts about the subject and their family history. Even brief investigations by seasoned forensic genealogists can uncover startling truths about the individual’s origins that can upend everything that estate administrators and executors thought they knew about the decedent. In one recent case, our investigators… Read More »
Concerns with Foreign Heir Hunting Companies Now Operating in the US
US-based heir-hunting companies have long targeted unresolved estates in the US, using these estates as an opportunity for profit, and sometimes causing chaos for estate administrators and executors. In recent years, three of the nation’s oldest heir location companies have been the subject of federal indictments and prosecution for such crimes as collusion and… Read More »
Heir Hunting Firm Abandons Claims after Von Langen LLC Uncovers Additional Heirs
It isn’t unusual for Von Langen LLC to encounter heir hunting firms while conducting research on a deceased person’s lineage. In some cases, these heir hunting firms have entered contracts to represent the heirs in a claim long before they have completed a thorough search of the deceased person’s heirs. In some cases, the… Read More »
Multiple Marriages, Adoptions, and Half-Siblings Complicate Search for Heirs
The forensic genealogists at Von Langen LLC recently completed a search for heirs of one Esther Ragsdale of Ashland City, Tennessee. For background, Von Langen LLC’s client advised us that an heir hunter’s attorney represented an alleged “half-grandniece” and “half-great-grandniece” who were located as a result of the heir hunter’s unauthorized search; their search… Read More »
Investigation Uncovers Previously-Unknown Half-Sister
You’ve probably seen movies or tv shows where the main character receives the improbable news that they’ve just inherited a fortune from a relative they didn’t know they had. It isn’t unheard of that our researchers are able to notify unwitting heirs of their right to inherit a portion of an unknown relative’s estate…. Read More »
Forensic Genealogy: Much More than Ancestry.com
If you or your organization are searching for heirs, whether of an estate, a trust, an investment account, or mineral rights, you may wonder whether it’s truly important to hire a professional to conduct this research. After all, information on just about anyone can be found online with a few google searches, right? There… Read More »
Attorney Petitions to Reopen Estate, but Purported Heirs Lack Support
When an individual dies without a will or heirs, their assets will escheat to the state. Some individuals see this as “free money” and a golden opportunity to profit. In one such case, an attorney filed a petition to reopen a closed estate on behalf of alleged “heirs” to a woman who passed away… Read More »
Von Langen Celebrates Thirty Years
We’re proud to announce that 2018 marks the 30th year for Cliff von Langen, a leader in the field of forensic genealogy and international investigations. During these thirty years of providing help with heir location, as well as other services making use of our uniquely-equipped team of investigators and forensic genealogists, we’ve tackled a… Read More »