death certificate for person missing nine years

Re: death certificate for person missing nine years

The local court can rule him to be dead or disappeared...but often SS staff can do the same thing without the hassle of court.

A friend is trying to get social security payments for her children. The husband went missing nine years ago. Doesn't sound like a very nice guy and he was involved with drugs etc., odds are he is dead. Social Security said she needs a death certificate for benefits but she is having trouble obtaining this. She has talked to a few lawyers by phone. Two said they didn't handle that sort of thing and the third said he would research it and call back. She hasn't heard from him yet. I am not even sure if this fall into the family law section, just trying to help her out.
The question is, how does she have this man declared dead so she can obtain a death certificate?