Section 13-1-23 - Presumption of death(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, a person who shall remain beyond the sea, or absent himself or herself from this state, or conceal himself or herself in this state, for seven (7) years successively without being heard of, shall be presumed to be dead in any case where the person's death shall come in question, unless proof be made that the person was alive within that time. Any property or estate recovered in any such case shall be restored to the person evicted or deprived thereof, if, in a subsequent action, it shall be proved that the person so presumed to be dead is living.(2)(a) This subsection shall be known and may be cited as the "Zeb Hughes Law."(b) A person who has undergone a catastrophic event that exposed the person to imminent peril or danger reasonably expected to result in loss of life and whose absence following the event is not explained satisfactorily after diligent search or inquiry is presumed to be dead if the sworn testimony of persons having firsthand knowledge of the event, including law enforcement officers, first responders, search and rescue personnel and volunteers, eyewitnesses and any other persons, along with any other evidence before the court, is uncontradicted and supports a determination that the death of the missing person occurred in the catastrophic event. The death is presumed to have occurred at the time of the catastrophic event.(c) The hearing to review evidence of the catastrophic event shall be held no less than two (2) years after the catastrophic event. Loss of life shall be proven by clear and convincing evidence. A notice of the hearing shall be provided to the coroner, the district attorney and the sheriff of the county in which the catastrophic event occurred within thirty (30) days of the date set for the hearing in accordance with the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.Codes, 1857, ch. 61, art. 252; 1871, § 882; 1880, § 1648; 1892, § 1737; 1906, § 1914; Hemingway's 1917, § 1574; 1930, § 1537; 1942, § 1698.Amended by Laws, 2024, ch. 441, HB 1068,§ 3, eff. 7/1/2024.