Newbies looking for help with wholesaling

[Alexis Birmingham]

Hello! My friend and I believe we have found an excellent property for a wholesale. It is a very large, abandoned property, located across from a river on a main road. It has been in the same condition for 10+ years. After some research, we have found the phone number of a family member of the owner of the property, who has recently passed. We are looking further to find the current owner of the property. 
Neither of us have any wholesale experience, nor have ever been in a real estate transaction. My friend and I are looking for any guidance regarding the approach we should take when contacting the owner; i.e., what questions to ask them, what information to disclose about ourselves 

Furthermore, should we have a real estate attorney in case the owners are interested in selling? 
Thank you so much in advance!