Published in the Independent (UK Edition)
By Clara Hill on June 4th, 2021
An Oregon woman died homeless, unaware she was entitled to over $800,000 in inheritance. Catherine (Cathy) Boone died in January 2020 aged 49 with no idea that she had been left $884,407.
As detailed by her father, she had faced mental health and drug problems throughout her life and could not be contacted about the money despite numerous attempts to reach her. It is believed that the money was left to her by her mother, who died in 2016. Her mother’s death is believed to have been a trigger for her emotional issues, a contributing factor to her relapse.
Boone’s father regrets that he wasn’t able to help Cathy, nor was anybody in the court system or local police. He wishes someone could have stepped in to help Cathy take the first step toward reclaiming her life.
It just didn’t make any sense to me. That money was just sitting there, and she needed help in the worst way. She had a rough life but when she was good, she was really good. I attribute it almost all to drugs, but I think she also had some mental health issues and the combination of the two didn’t work out for her very well… I kind of gave up on her because of the drugs and shouldn’t have done that.
Jack Spithill, Cathy Boone’s Father
