what happens when a person dies and there is a lien on the house

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Found a vacant house in our town. neighbors say owners moved, been vacant 3-5 yrs. found a mechanics lien on house. lienholder (home improvement company) has no knowledge of lien (lien is 12 yrs old now) and too old to be in their system. the mortgage company they sold it to is no longer in business. through research have found the mortgage company that took over the other company is no longer in business either!! anyone know how many yrs before a lien becomes worthless if unsatisfied in tx? cannot find owners listed on title (dont think they want to be found) and they are going on 3 yrs back taxes owed. is there any way i can buy this house? if so, what do i need to do/how do i go about doing it? the inside is quite nice and has had alot of remodeling. its a shame to let it fall in. thanks for any suggestions, advice, help.

You can acquire the property through adverse possession. It is accomplished by acquiring title to property through continued possession and payment of taxes. There are five requirements. 1. The possession must be by actual occupation, and be open and notorious. 2. It must be hostile to the present owner’s title and wishes. 3. It must be under a claim of right or color of title. In other words, there has to be some reasonable right to a claim of adverse possession. 4. Possession must be continuous and uninterrupted for five years. 5. Claimant must have paid all real property taxes for five continuous years.