Would Mother has no will but leaves lock box with sons name on it dates and signs it what happens?

Answer 1

This might be a case of what is called a gift causa mortis. Normally when a person dies intestate (without a will) the person's possessions derive to her heir. Normally a husband would be the first heir followed by an issue (kids or grandkids) but this can differ based on law from state to state. A gift causa mortis is a gift given contemporaneous with the person's death. The rules for this differ greatly from state to state, but generally it has to be pretty clear that the gift was meant for the person and often actual delivery (that is actually giving it to the person) is required. This sounds like a case of constructive delivery (giving it to someone without actually physically handing it to them) and this may or may not be sufficient. It just depends on the law in your jurisdiction and how clear the intention of the giver was.