Unusual Probate Index Entry

[DianaCanada]

Have seen a lot of probate index entries over the years, but never one like this.  A relative died in a rural area and the entry says "last seen April 4, body found April 6".  This was in 1987, so no handy newspapers to consult online.  What do rootschatters think?  Simply that she was found dead at home or she went missing?  At first I thought the latter, but perhaps this is the standard way to record that she had not been seen for a couple of days.

[Milliepede]

I would guess the latter especially if in a rural area with few neighbours. 

Don't suppose there is an address given is there?  If it was her abode then she hadn't gone missing and simply died at home.  The death certificate may have more information. 

[rosie99]

I have seen an entry on the probate index that gives the address of their normal abode, the date they were last seen alive and details as to where the body was found.  They had taken their own life 

[DianaCanada]

I would guess the latter especially if in a rural area with few neighbours. 

Don't suppose there is an address given is there?  If it was her abode then she hadn't gone missing and simply died at home.  The death certificate may have more information.

Yes her address was given, and she’d lived there for decades. 

[Rena]

From news reports, it seems that the official time and date a body is found is when the police attend, even if others have already found the deceased.

[DianaCanada]

Just looked at the probate listing again, none of the people have a place of death for the two pages I checked, just their abode. In 1987 I would think a good number of people would have died in hospital, if not most. 

[KGarrad]

I wouldn't think a place of death was of much importance to a probate?

[markheal]

I found recently a similar 'last seen alive' several days previously which highlighted the significance and legal ramifications of the accurate date of our death.   With today's high proportion of adults living alone and with no relatives, being found dead after many days, weeks or even months may become a common occurrence.

The value of the Probate record is both the address of usual residence [of:] and also the place of the actual death [at:].

[DianaCanada]

Thank you, everyone for your input.  Barring purchasing the death certificate or reading a newspaper reference about her death, I guess I won’t know for sure what happened.