Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 1701 – Presumption of death
(a) When the death of a person or the date thereof is in issue, the unexplained absence from the last known place of residence and the fact that the person has been unheard of for 7 years may be a sufficient ground for finding that the person died 7 years after the person was last heard of.
Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 1701
- Court: means the Court of Chancery. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, a federally recognized Indian tribe, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 12 Sec. 39A-101
- United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
(b) The fact that a person was exposed to a specific peril of death may be sufficient ground for finding that the person died less than 7 years after the person was last heard of.
(c) A written finding of missing in action or presumed death made by the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy or other officer or employee of the United States authorized to make such finding pursuant to the Federal Missing Persons Act (37 U.S.C. § 551 et seq.), as now or hereafter amended, or a duly certified copy of such finding shall be received in any court, office or other place in this State as prima facie evidence of the death of the person therein found to be missing in action or dead, and the date, circumstances and place of disappearance.