My husband inherited a portion of mineral rights in Oklahoma from his father. The original owner was my husband's uncle, who originally willed portions to four (4) people, including my husband's father. One person's rights were obtained in a divorce decree from 1997. At some point, this person has passed and she had no children. There has been nothing filed with the county courthouse since the 1997 divorce decree. My question is this: is there any way that my husband could now obtain this portion of the family mineral rights if there are no known heirs of the divorcee's? Also, what is the procedure to do this?
Here is another question: one of the other family owners, my husband's aunt, is now in a nursing home and she has not willed her rights to anyone, not even her two children. What happens with her mineral rights?