A woman from California received some interesting, yet exciting, news from officials in Carson City, Nevada recently. The news was that the woman was the heir to a reclusive cousin’s stash of gold bars and coins found in his garage and on his property. The value of the stash has been reported as $7.4 million.
Alan Glover, the City Clerk-Recorder, said that it took over a month for genealogical research to certify Arlene Magdon as the first cousin and only living relative of the man, identified as Walter Samasko Jr.
The investigation to find an heir to the fortune began earlier in 2012 after officials were called to Samasko’s house in Nevada after reports of a foul smell emitting from it. Those who responded found his body, which they say was lying there for at least one month.
Gold bars and gold coins were discovered in boxes in the garage and in the house as it was being prepared for sale. Some of the coins featured mints from Austria, Mexico, South Africa and England dating back to 1872. The coins were stored in boxes marked ‘books.’ Some were found wrapped in aluminum foil in ammunition boxes.
Multiple people came forward when the news of Samasko’s fortune was released, according to a report from the Las Vegas Sun. There was a man in Florida who wrote saying that he was a secret agent suffering from a severe head injury. He said that he just remembered he was related to Samasko.
Glover said that Magdon has remained very quiet about her news but has hired a financial planner. Magdon will be certified on Tuesday as the heir to the money at a hearing. The money will be given to her in 2013 and she will receive all but $800,000 of it, which will be the inheritance tax paid out on the large sum of money.