In Arizona, a community property state, when one spouse dies the surviving spouse automatically becomes the sole owner of all community property acquired during the marriage, with some exceptions, and also inherits a portion of any separate property the deceased spouse acquired before the marriage. If a person dies without a will and has no identifiable living relatives, the state of Arizona will inherit their entire estate. To avoid having the state make inheritance decisions and choose an estate representative, a person should create a will to specify their inheritance wishes and choices.