Heir search (also called heir location) is the investigative process of identifying, locating, and proving the legal heirs or beneficiaries entitled to inherit a deceased person’s estate.  This typically involves genealogical research, public records searches, and skip tracing to find individuals who may be missing, estranged, or unknown to the executor. Heir hunters or professional services often conduct these searches on a contingency fee basis, taking a percentage of the recovered assets only after the heir is successfully located and receives their inheritance.