How long can a person be missing before being declared LEGALLY dead in UK and USA?
Yes7 years are the rules but normally a court can declare a person dead if there was a major tragedy/accident or if the court had good reason to believe that the person was dead due to the inability to locate a body. This happened alot after 911 to enable widows/widowers/next of kin to cash in the insurance as without money the next of kin can not meet there payments or benefit from insurance as they can not afford to wait 7 years it causes too much hardship. Steves widow went to court herself to have him declared dead, the court would have examined the evidence and decided in all probability he has died, his insurance company could dispute it, but could be made to pay out by their own ombudsman if he agrees in all probability he died.
