&gt;&gt; &quot;...the phone (which after all belonged to them)...&quot;<p>Pretty sure the phone was the property of whomever was named as the dead guy&#x27;s inheritor in his will. Absent a will it should have gone to the next of kin or probate court or similar. One place the dead guy&#x27;s property should <i>not</i> go is to the FBI. That&#x27;s not how property rights work.<p>I recognize that in practice the FBI will do as they damn well please, but in principle we do have laws for this.