Middletown — A probate judge has declared Nathan Carman's mother dead seven years after she vanished while on a fishing trip with him off Block Island, court documents show.

Judge Joseph Marino ruled on Wednesday that Linda Carman died this past Sept. 17. She was last seen on Sept. 17, 2016, but since her body has never been found, the former Middletown resident could not be declared dead until seven years had elapsed, according to state law. She was 54 when she disappeared at sea.

In addition to declaring Carman dead, Marino assigned a fiduciary for her estate and ordered that an inventory of her property must be completed within two months, and the estate must be settled within a year. Linda Carman's estate could be worth over $2 million, according to an attorney involved in the case.

Nathan Carman, 29, died by suicide in June while in prison awaiting trial on federal charges in connection with his mother's death. He was accused of killing her while on a fishing trip off Block Island in his boat The Chicken Pox in 2016. Federal prosecutors said Carman killed his mother after depleting a $550,000 inheritance he received from the death of his grandfather, John Chakalos. Prosecutors alleged Carman shot and killed his wealthy grandfather at his Windsor home in 2013, but he was never charged with the homicide.

Chakalos' estate is worth at least $42 million and was expected to be disbursed to his four daughters, including Linda Carman, but his family has left his estate untouched for years to prevent Nathan Carman from receiving his mother's share, according to court documents.

In the lead up to Wednesday's hearing, lawyers submitted Linda Carman's will into the record, which showed that she had intentionally left her son out three years before her disappearance.

"Nathan Carman is my only child," Linda Carman wrote in the second paragraph of her will, which was obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media Group. "I have intentionally omitted Nathan and all of his descendants as beneficiaries under my will."

Staff writers Christine Dempsey and Lisa Backus contributed to this article.