The funeral

[Languorous Lass]

Sappho said a person can be declared dead after seven years. What if the funeral was recently. Like just before Jonas started posting videos.

Remember that guy from Manic Street Preachers? He was gone like ten years before he was declared dead.

You don't have to have a person declared dead after seven years. You can wait longer before petitioning the courts. Seven is the minimum. Also, even if the person isn't declared legally dead, the family could still have a private service to provide closure.

But Lass is the lawyer around here. Maybe she can tell us? Lass?

Sorry, Sapph, but this isn't my area of expertise.

[Sami]

Sappho said a person can be declared dead after seven years. What if the funeral was recently. Like just before Jonas started posting videos.

Sappho was talking about a disappearance on land, though (one with no known accident or disaster involved), with the seven years. When people disappear at sea (or in an event like the World Trade Center disaster), different rules apply.


I'd say the funeral probably happened within weeks. Waiting any longer would just be delaying closure - you'd know they wouldn't be coming back.

Wow, that's fast. I thought they's be searching for them for a year or so. Or not 'searching' but waiting to see if they show up

[JustAnotherLonelyGirl.]

I thought people hold memorial services for people who go missing rather than funerals.

I believe that when people go missing their next of kin can declare them dead after a certain time period. I think it's done for any number of reasons:
1. Closure
2. Insurance/Inheritance (say a husband is missing - the wife would have to wait a certain time period before being able to declare him dead and start claim procedures on life insurance, probate of will, etc)

So, if Jonas was his parents next of kin, he could have declared them dead. Except he was a minor at time - so most likely it was the executor of the estate (or whoever had power of attorney - could have been a trustee etc).

Also, I think in this day and age memorial service and funeral are interchangable (at least in the US). It usually has more to do with the famlily and what they want to call it. (Funeral, Memorial, Wake, etc)

Interesting. Jonas has never referred to his parents as dead. He has always said they disappeared. I can't imagine the power was in his hands to declare them dead.

Maybe it was Alex... in fact, maybe she knew they were dead.