Posted by William Bronchick on May 06, 2004 at 08:56:30:
Technically, the property belongs to the estate of your mother. You need to do some sort of state court probate proceeding to resolve this. If she had a will leaving it to someone else (or, if she died intestate and you had other living relatives at the time), there may be others who have rights to the property.
It is possible to claim adverse possession, but this still requires a quiet title proceeding in court. You’ll have to visit with a local attorney to review the facts and law.