Can i take mums stuff if dad abandons his house and leaves mums stuff and cant be traced?

my mum passed away december 2010 dad vanished on 14 th june 2011 we put missing persons report in to blackpool police as he has told them he was going to commit suicide he packed car up five times to the hilt and vanished the landlady wants to re-let the house as he has said hes not coming back as my wife is the eldest daughter /sibling does she has the right to have property left and all the stuff is still there she never knew her mum as she was in care she had only known her mum for 5 of her 25 years her so called dad is not to be-found and refuses to come back were does she stand to take possession of what he has left as she would like to have some memory's of her mum to cherish please help