Peggy Fossett, the wife of famed aviator Steve Fossett, is asking a court to declare the missing millionaire adventurer dead.
A petition for declaration of death was filed in Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois, Nov. 26.
“We will continue to grieve and heal, but after nearly three months we feel now that we must accept that Steve did not survive,” Peggy Fossett said in a prepared statement.
Steve Fossett, 63, disappeared Sept. 3 while flying over rugged terrain in Nevada. He did not file a flight plan and did not intend to be gone for more than a few hours, according to those present at the time. An exhaustive search followed but no trace of the accomplished pilot was found. The search was called off early in October as snow began to fall in the area.
The petition noted that investigators have concluded that Fossett’s airplane was destroyed in a fatal accident.
The declaration of death would be the first step in settling Fossett’s estate.
An attorney for the Fossett family stated that asking for the declaration was painful, adding that the search for the wreckage is still going on, albeit on a much smaller scale than when he first disappeared.
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