If a devisee, legatee, heir, widow, or other person, entitled to some portion or all of an estate, appears within 17 years from the date of the decree and files a claim with the Probate Division of the Superior Court that made the decree, and establishes the claim to the estate, he or she shall have possession of the same to the extent of the claim, or, if sold, the town shall be accountable to him or her for the avails, after deducting reasonable charges for the care of the estate. If the claim is not made within the time mentioned, it shall be barred. (Amended 2009, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 238a, eff. Feb. 1, 2011; 2017, No. 195 (Adj. Sess.), § 4.)