Ms. Abrams, I don’t see how you can be held responsible for someone else’s, possibly criminal actions. I think you should seek the record of your mother’s deed and file an updated statement of claim. What Mr. Hutchison says is true, the deed is just a piece of paper. They need the owner or the heirs’ signature to transfer title. It would be a good idea to update your claim anyway. They have a dormant minerals statute in ND, where if you don’t own the surface, the surface owner can claim the minerals if they have not been used in 20 years. The county recorder’s office where your minerals are may have a form for making a statement of claim, but you could do a handwritten one if it contained all the information; they also can usually make a certified copy of your mother’s deed and mail it to you for a modest fee. The county recorder should be your first inquiry, in my opinion.