Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in California

Sorry about your loss. Anyone who is a potential heir, as you are, is entitled to a full copy of the Will and notice of any probate proceedings. If there is an administrator or executor of the Will contact them. if not, see the prior answers on this site as to how to locate Wills.

Normally the original of the will or a copy will be in the decedent's papers or in a safe deposit box. If you know the name of her attorney, he or she may have a copy of the will. You can also check the court records for the county in which she lived at the time of her death to see if anyone has deposited the will with the court.

Otherwise, without a will, a probate proceeding should be initiated as soon as possible.

I assume from your question that your daughter was not married or had any children? What about close friends that you know of? Any one of them might be the executor of your daughter's will if she had one. You did not say where your daughter lived. If she lived in the Los Angeles area, you can go online and search the Los Angeles Superior Court at http://www.lasuperiorcourt.org/ and search under Probate to see if probate proceedings have begun and whether her will has been lodged with the court. If she lived in another city, go to http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/trial/ to find the appropriate superior court for her county. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know. Note, it is possible that she had a living trust and that probate proceedings would not be needed. You really do need to find a family member or close friend to find out if she had a trust as they are not recorded anywhere.