In all cases where any person being a life tenant or joint tenant in any interest in real property, including but not limited to mortgages owned by two or more persons as joint tenants with right of survivorship, shall die either testate or intestate, leaving no property or estate on which administration proceedings have been had or commenced, any of the remaindermen having an interest in the real estate subject to such life estate, or any survivor of such joint tenancy, or any person claiming any right, title or interest in said real estate by, through or under such remainderman or survivor may have the fact of the death of said life tenant or joint tenant judicially determined by filing a petition in the district court of the county in which said real estate or some part thereof is situated, or of the county of the residence of said decedent, alleging the facts of such life estate or joint tenancy, describing such real estate, alleging the death of such life tenant or joint tenant as the case may be, and setting forth the names and addresses, if known, of all of the heirs of said decedent, if intestate, and of his heirs, devisees and legatees, if testate, and of all other persons by him known to claim any interest in said real estate, which petition shall be sworn to by petitioner, his agent or attorney.

Upon the filing of such petition the court shall enter an order fixing the date and hour for hearing same, which date shall be not less than ten (10) days from the date of entry of said order. The court clerk shall thereupon issue a notice under his hand and seal, which notice shall be directed to "the heirs, devisees, legatees and assigns" of said decedent, "and to all persons claiming any right, title or interest in or to the real estate hereinafter described", and shall recite the filing of said petition and the entry of the order setting same for hearing, and shall notify said persons of the date, hour and place of hearing said petition and contain a description of the real estate described therein.

Said notice shall be published in one (1) issue of a newspaper of general circulation in said county, the date of such publication to be at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for said hearing, and at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for said hearing a copy thereof shall be mailed to each of the heirs, devisees, legatees and other persons interested in said real estate as named in said petition, at their respective addresses shown thereon, unless there be filed an affidavit of the petitioner, or his attorney, showing that the post office addresses of any of such persons are unknown to the petitioner or his attorney. Proofs of such publication and of mailing shall be filed in the district court prior to the entry of any order or decree upon said petition.

Upon hearing of such petition being had, the court shall hear the evidence and proof of death, and shall make and enter an order and decree determining the fact of the death of such life tenant or joint tenant, as the case may be, and the termination of the life estate or joint tenancy in said real property, as the case may be, a certified copy of which decree shall be filed in the office of the county clerk of the county in which said real property or any part thereof is situated.

Such order or decree shall, upon entry, be conclusive of the facts therein found as to all purchasers, encumbrancers or lienors of said real estate acquiring their titles, encumbrances or liens in good faith, relying upon said decree.

Added by Laws 1935, p. 7, § 1, emerg. eff. March 13, 1935. Amended by Laws 1941, p. 232, § 1; Laws 1945, p. 191, § 1; Laws 1996, c. 339, § 14, eff. Nov. 1, 1996.