I'm sure he had a will, but if he had not,

and if he was in California, his stepson could inherit his properties:

A few states will allow your stepchildren to inherit your property if you die without a will. California passed the first law authorizing this in 1983. As of 2011, six other states -- Ohio, Connecticut, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri -- have also passed laws allowing intestate succession inheritance for stepchildren. These state laws essentially allow your stepchildren to inherit under intestate succession only if you have no surviving biological relatives at all.