What happens to the estate of an intestate person who has no widow, issue, or parents?

In cases of intestacy, the distribution of an intestate person's estate is governed by statutory rules that prioritize relatives in a specific order. When an individual dies without a will and has no surviving spouse, children, or parents, the estate is typically passed on to the next closest relatives.

Siblings are recognized as direct descendants in many jurisdictions’ intestacy laws, so they are the primary beneficiaries when a person dies without a spouse, children, or parents. This prioritization is based on the understanding that siblings share a close familial bond and, in the absence of immediate family, should inherit the deceased’s estate.

The other options refer to potential beneficiaries not prioritized in this situation. Distant relatives and friends are further down the line in the hierarchy of inheritance, and it would only be after all closer relatives have been accounted for that these groups might be considered. However, most intestacy laws would not permit the estate to simply go to distant relatives or friends if closer relatives, like siblings, are available to inherit. The state ultimately becomes the beneficiary only when there are no surviving relatives at all, which is not the case here as siblings are present.