By Gwen Davis

It was uncovered recently that Peter Petrasek and his wife Joan, West Seattle residents, willed their estate to “the United States of America.” In their wills, a cashier’s check for $847,215.57 was made out to the Department of Treasury. There were no further details on the will. The couple had no known family.

Petrasek died on May 5, 2012 at the age of 85. Joan died 13 years earlier at the age of 79.

Reportedly, it took three years for the house to be emptied, and the car, gun collection, paintings and other assortments to be evaluated and sold. Petrasek was born in Vlastimil Petrasek in Prague, Czechoslovakia, according to previous reporting.