What is escheat and when does the government take property through it?

Escheat is the legal process by which property passes to the state when the owner dies intestate, meaning without a valid will, and no heirs can be found. The principle ensures that property does not remain ownerless indefinitely. Each state's intestate succession laws define the order of inheritance through spouse, children, parents, siblings, and more distant relatives. Only when absolutely no heir can be located does the property escheat to the state. Escheat also applies to abandoned personal property, such as dormant bank accounts, through state unclaimed property laws.