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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Mitch Dudek

SW Side recluse’s record-setting $11 million unclaimed estate thrown into chaos by newly surfaced will

Attorney Ken Piercey unrolls an heir tree showing more than 119 heirs in his Barrington office. He’s working distribute the $11 million estate of Joseph Stancak, a Chicagoan who died with no will and no immediate relatives. (Ashlee Rezin / Sun-Times)

There’s a twist in the mysterious case of the late Joseph Stancak — a frugal, secretly wealthy Southwest Side recluse and his record-setting unclaimed estate, valued at $11 million.

A will has surfaced in Cook County probate court that has thrown a wrench into the gears of the inheritance process, at least temporarily, putting a hold on payouts to more than 119 distant relatives around the globe.

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