Abshier v. Chapman

PRATHER, Presiding Justice,

for the Court:

I. INTRODUCTION

This case involves the contested will of Tom Wier Mitchell, a life-long resident of Tippah County, who died on February 3, 1990, at the age of 85. After Mitchell’s death, a search for his will proved futile. Barrett and Bobbie Chapman, who were Mitchell’s neighbors, produced a photocopy of the lost will. This photocopy revealed that Mitchell bequeathed his entire estate to the Chapmans. Mitchell’s heirs-at-law, which included his great nieces and nephews (hereinafter “Abshier”), contested the lost will— relying on the presumption of…