A woman remained spread after she received thousands of pounds in a shocking profit after she was detected when a long -lost family member died without a will.
Angela Lewis, 82, died tragically only from dementia in a nursing home in Surrey, where the people around her know very little about her family.
Born in Hackney during the Second World War as the only child, she had no children to inherit her £ 75,000 estate.
But when Finders International – professional Probate genealogists and stars of BBC's Heir Hunters Series – was instructed to look for family members, they thought she had three cousins who had died for her.
And so when Conchita Boothman – one of the five remaining children of the trio – received a letter through her door in which she informed her about the surprise sum, she was shocked.
Her parents divorced when she was young and the 53-year-old knew little about his family. She says that the new revelation gives her a new insight into his life.
Mrs. Boothman said to MailOnline: 'When I received the letter from Finders International, I was totally surprised. I was a bit dubious in the beginning, but did my own research into Finders International and although I had never heard of Angela Lewis, I decided that I would call finders.
The parents of Conchita Boothman divorced when she was young and the 53-year-old knew little about his family. She says that the new revelation gives her a new insight into his life. Shown: Conchita Boothman as a child, left, and the grandmother of Conchita Boothman, who otherwise would not have known, right
When Conchita Boothman (now depicted) – one of the five remaining children of the trio – received a letter through her door in which she informed her about the surprise sum, she was left shocked
'I spoke with one of the researchers from Finders who explained that Angela was the first cousin of my deceased father.
'It was amazing to hear this, because I didn't know much about my own father or my father's family. My parents divorced when I was very young and both had diseases that prevented me from really knowing my father. '
Mrs. Boothman had never heard of her mysterious benefactor when she received a letter stating that she was one of the five people who shares her £ 75,000 estate.
Mrs. Lewis died more than 200 miles from her stockport -and she says she wants her to have helped her before he died.
She continued: 'The whole process with Finders International was incredible, as somewhat bitter sweet.
'It is sad that Angela was alone and sad that I never met her. I would have liked to get to know her and her life, and also to ask her about my father's family. '
But although Mrs. Boothman may never have been able to talk to her cousin First-around-on-One-removal, she says that the new information “has completed a chapter of my family tree.”
Before Finders International contacts, she didn't even know that she had cousins on her father's side.
She added: 'I did not know that my grandmother was married twice and that my father was out of her second marriage, so I was not at all aware that my father had a half -brother and that I also' half cousins had.
Mrs. Boothman (depicted as a child) had never heard of her mysterious benefactor when she received a letter stating that she was one of the five people who shared her £ 75,000 estate
Simonne Llewellyn, CEO of Finders International, said: 'This kind of scenario is not unusual'
“I would probably never have known this for the work of Finderers International on this case. Now, finally, I know a part of my father and my own heritage and that means a lot to me.
'It completed a chapter of my family tree that I didn't know did not even exist and I am very grateful for that. The inheritance, although totally unexpected, is just a bonus. I did not decide what to do with it – probably a few housing improvements. '
Simonne Llewellyn, CEO of Finders International, said: 'This kind of scenario is not unusual.
'Families are often distributed, with extensive families and family members who could not know each other. Emigration, divorce, remarriage and even diseases often play a crucial role in knowledge gaps within extensive families.
'We don't know what the wishes of Angela would have been, but we are happy that Angela's estate goes to the next generation of her only family members and that they can enjoy their inheritance. We are also pleased that we were able to fill in a few gaps in the family tree for the beneficiaries. '
