After 15 years she gets nothing??

In North Carolina we do not allow for common law marriage. Does this mean that if a couple has been together for 15 years and the man dies the children can come and put the woman in the poor house?? I am not a relative or even a friend of hers but I just feel sorry for her being kicked out of her house, they are taking her vehicle and make trips to her house taking whatever they want. Is this legal? Does she have a leg to stand on at all?

Did he have a Will? Is any of the property hers? Does she have a lawyer to help her?

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No will has been found. Nothing was in her name, everything in his. She has talked to the estate lawyer that the family hired, I gues you have to have an estate lawyer?! Never dealt with any of this myself, and the estate lawyer was the one who said common law marriage is not validated in NC so she has no ground to stand on. Should she get a second opinion?