"Estate of John Doe" - What are these and who controls them?

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Hi All! 

I am combing through my local certified 2017 appraisal roll to build a targeted marketing list. Most property owners are listed as individual(s) or an entity of some sort (LLC, LP, etc). However, a few prime properties I have come across list the owners as "Estate of John Doe." I know this is an Estate but I am not very familiar with Estates and how they work. Does this mean this person died without Heirs? Who benefits from the Estate? Who do I need to reach out to if I wish to make an offer on the property?