The Court granted letters of administration on the presumption of death where the deceased had been missing for 36 years, applying the Axon v Axon and Chard v Chard framework. The Court held that a prior coronial finding that the missing person was a voluntary missing person did not constitute acceptable affirmative evidence of life, particularly where no sightings or contact had occurred in the 18 years since that finding. The Court also noted that the presumption of death does not authorise a finding as to the date of death, only that the person no longer lives at the time of the proceedings.
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