Pemiscot County Probate Records Venue
Probate in Pemiscot County is part of the Missouri Circuit Court structure. Missouri Constitution Article V, section 27 placed former probate and magistrate jurisdiction within the circuit courts, so the local venue is the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. The county's Judicial Division III page lists probate, decedent estates, guardianships and conservatorships for incapacitated or disabled adults, minor guardianships and conservatorships, juvenile abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency, child protection orders, adult abuse, adoptions, and civil marriage ceremonies.
Division III is located on the second floor of the Pemiscot County Courthouse. The research lists Associate Circuit Judge W. Keith Currie at 610 Ward Avenue, Suite 2E, Caruthersville, Missouri 63830, with office phone 573-333-0152 and email april.gatewood@courts.mo.gov. Division III law and docket dates are the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, with a 10:00 a.m. morning docket and a 1:00 p.m. afternoon docket. Before appearing on a probate docket day, call the office because filing requirements and hearing placement can depend on the case type.
Probate Division of the Circuit Court
Division: Judicial Division III / Associate Probate
610 Ward Avenue, Suite 2E
Caruthersville, MO 63830
573-333-0152
april.gatewood@courts.mo.gov
Docket days: second and fourth Tuesday
Pemiscot County Circuit Clerk
Clerk: Tonya Hillhouse
610 Ward Avenue
Caruthersville, MO 63830
573-333-0182
Mail: PO Box 34, Caruthersville, MO 63830
kelly.maners@courts.mo.gov
Missouri's probate transfer rule is visible in the Missouri Constitution Article V, section 27 source.
That court-structure rule is the reason Pemiscot probate files are searched through the circuit court system.
Pemiscot County Probate Terms
Probate records use terms that are easy to confuse. The terms below match common Pemiscot County probate and guardianship files and help separate estate matters from protective proceedings.
- Testator
- A person who made a will before death.
- Executor
- A person named in a will to carry out estate duties, often called a personal representative after court appointment.
- Intestate
- Dying without a valid will, which means estate distribution follows Missouri law and court orders.
- Guardianship
- A court case that appoints someone to make personal-care decisions for a minor or incapacitated adult.
- Conservatorship
- A court case that appoints someone to manage money or property for a protected person.
- Letters
- Court-issued proof that a personal representative has authority to act for an estate.
Search Pemiscot County Probate Records
Public probate docket entries may be searched through Missouri Case.net. Use Pemiscot County or 34th Judicial Circuit filters when available. A probate case may appear under the decedent, protected person, minor, petitioner, personal representative, guardian, conservator, or other party name. Exact case numbers are faster than name searches, especially when a family name appears in more than one estate or guardianship case.
- Identify the type of probate matter: decedent estate, will, guardianship, conservatorship, minor estate, or adoption-related proceeding.
- Search Case.net by case number if known, or by party name with Pemiscot County or 34th Judicial Circuit selected when the court filter is visible.
- Review public docket entries for the case type, filing date, division, judge, parties, hearings, orders, letters, inventory, accounting, or closing entries.
- Call Division III at 573-333-0152 before appearing on a docket day or filing new papers.
- For certified copies, older files, sealed items, or documents not visible online, contact the Circuit Clerk at 573-333-0182 or by mail at PO Box 34.
Some files may show a public case header while documents remain unavailable remotely. That does not mean the file is missing. Probate records often require a clerk copy request because remote access is shaped by court rule, document date, confidentiality, and redaction requirements.
Pemiscot County Probate File Contents
Pemiscot County probate records can include wills admitted to probate, applications for letters, decedent estate files, inventories, creditor notices, settlements, accountings, orders of distribution, and final settlement entries. Guardianship and conservatorship records may include petitions, physician or capacity-related material, appointment orders, annual reports, accountings, restricted financial data, and orders changing or ending authority. Adoption-related matters are listed under Division III, but adoption files are not ordinary public records.
| Record type | What it may show |
|---|---|
| Decedent estate | Application, will, letters, inventory, creditor notice, accounting, distribution, and closing order. |
| Small estate | Affidavit, clerk certificate, asset description, heirs, and distribution authority when the statute applies. |
| Adult guardianship | Petition, capacity findings, guardian appointment, reports, and court oversight entries. |
| Conservatorship | Financial authority, inventories, accountings, expenditures, bond, and closing documents. |
| Minor guardianship | Petition, appointment, parent or custodian notices, and orders involving the minor's care. |
| Adoption | Restricted proceedings that require court-authorized access. |
Public Administrator involvement may appear in some estate, guardianship, or conservatorship files when the court appoints a public official because no suitable private person is available. The research identifies Trina Hollomon as the Public Administrator who may serve in those roles when appointed by the court.
Pemiscot County Probate Fees
The official Pemiscot County pages reviewed for this build did not publish a local probate filing fee schedule, probate copy fee schedule, small-estate filing amount, will-deposit fee, or local form packet fee. Because no local probate fee schedule was found, the safest route is to call Division III or the Circuit Clerk before mailing papers or payment. Do not rely on another Missouri county's probate fee table for a Pemiscot County filing.
| Probate item | Local fee status |
|---|---|
| New decedent estate filing | Not found in official Pemiscot sources. |
| Small-estate affidavit filing | Not found in official Pemiscot sources. |
| Guardianship or conservatorship filing | Not found in official Pemiscot sources. |
| Certified probate copy | Not found in official Pemiscot sources. |
| Plain probate copy | Not found in official Pemiscot sources. |
| Research, mailing, or certification charges | Confirm with Division III or the Circuit Clerk. |
Note: Missouri public-record fee rules do not replace court-specific cost schedules, so probate filing and copy costs must be verified with the court.
Pemiscot County Small Estate Records
Missouri section 473.097 allows qualifying small-estate distribution by affidavit and clerk certificate through the probate division. That statute can matter when a decedent's estate is small enough for the affidavit route instead of full estate administration. The research did not locate official Pemiscot small-estate threshold guidance or a local form packet, so a person using this route should verify the current statutory requirements, filing fee, affidavit form, and publication or notice steps with Division III or a lawyer before filing.
The small-estate statute appears in the Missouri small-estate affidavit source.
The statute is useful background, but the local court still controls filing acceptance and certificate issuance.
Restricted Pemiscot County Probate Records
Not every probate-related file is open for general public inspection. Guardianship and conservatorship matters may include medical, disability, financial, and personal-identifier details. Minor guardianships involve children. Adoption records are sensitive and generally restricted unless the court authorizes access. Juvenile matters linked through Division III are also subject to Missouri confidentiality rules, including section 211.321 for juvenile court and peace-officer records.
Juvenile confidentiality is shown in the Missouri juvenile confidentiality statute source.
That limit is important when a probate search touches adoption, minor guardianship, abuse, neglect, or juvenile-protection material.