I gave ChatGPT an inheritance scenario based on the laws in effect during 1985.
"In this tragic scenario under English law, where the order of death of family members cannot be ascertained, the rules of commorientes (simultaneous death) apply as governed by the Law of Property Act 1925, specifically section 184. Under this rule, if it is impossible to determine the order of death, the law presumes that the older person died before the younger person.
Given that:
The daughter was intended to inherit the estate of her parents.
The deaths of the mother, father, daughter, and her two young children occurred at the same time, with no clear evidence of who passed first.
Here’s how inheritance would be distributed:
Application of Section 184 - Law of Property Act 1925
Presumed Order of Deaths: Since age is used to determine the presumed order of death:
The mother and father are presumed to have died first.
The daughter is presumed to have died after her parents.
The daughter’s children are presumed to have died after her.
Inheritance to the Daughter: Given this presumed order:
The daughter inherits her parents' estate as she is presumed to have survived them.
Inheritance to the Daughter’s Heirs:
Since the daughter is presumed to have died after inheriting her parents' estate, her estate (including what she inherited from her parents) would pass to her heirs.
However, as her children also died and were her next of kin, and they have no descendants, the inheritance will go according to the Rules of Intestacy.
Here’s how English intestacy law would apply in this case:
Presumed Order of Deaths:
Under section 184 of the Law of Property Act 1925, the presumed order of deaths is that the daughter outlived her parents and inherited their estate.
Following this, the older child is presumed to have outlived the younger sibling, meaning the estate would pass to the older child.
Inheritance from the Older Child:
Once the estate reaches the older child, the law of intestacy would apply to distribute the child’s estate.
Under the Rules of Intestacy, if a minor child dies without a will and no descendants, the estate would pass to the child’s surviving parent, who, in this case, is the father.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the father of the two children would inherit the estate through the presumed order of deaths and the subsequent intestate succession through the older child.
In summary, under English law, the father of the two children would inherit the estate in this scenario, as he would be the closest surviving relative under the intestacy rules."
