Sorry for your loss. What a nightmare.

I don't know about all the safety issues, but first if there is no compelling reason to do this immediately at least wait to see what he died of. If it was Covid, the virus should be gone after what a week on surfaces, right? Don't we all quarantine our Amazon deliveries like that?

Second, I agree, where mask, coveralls, and gloves, and then you need to just go in there and just take out ALL the papers...don't look at them there, just box em up and take them out.

All the other stuff, if he lived like you say, is garbage. If he was a recluse, I would look for hidden money, but other than that, forget about all the rest. Get a hauler to come and haul it all away.

As to the trailer and the land, first, if the trailer was paid off, and it's trashed as you say, just get rid of it. A trailer is personal property, like a car, you can just "junk" it.

The land, again, if it was paid off, he owned. Land doesn't have a "deed" a piece of paper that you need to transfer it, like a car. Unlike a car that you have to have to have the "title" (the piece of paper) to give to a buyer that you owned it, for real property, that is what the recorder's office is for.

So start there. Go to the recorder of deeds' website for that county (or go to or call their office) and confirm that a) the last deed recorded on the property was for your brother, and get a copy, b) that there is no mortgage still recorded that has not been released on the property (in other words, that he clearly has paid off the property), and c) there are no other liens (water from the city, unpaid property taxes).

I would next go to the tax assessor and make sure he had paid up his property taxes. Again, same thing, website, phone, office....

The only thing among someone's papers you would need are a) a mortgage with the "paid in full" in case the release of mortgage was never recorded for some reason, b) if he had a deed that for some reason was never recorded, or c) some release of a earlier lien that was never recorded, again for some reason, and d) proof that the property taxes are paid.

So land is not like a car, that you need the "title" to transfer it. But you might need paper to prove that you own it, there is no mortgage or it's not encumbered in anyway, if those things for some reason were not recorded or that the taxes have been paid.

So as it sounds like all he had of value is the land, start there with what has been recorded. Because the recorder has all the documents that have been recorded.

But gather all the paper, and take it home, in an open area, and go through it there, not at his place. Not in a hurry. And don't leave anything. Anything paper, bring out of there where you can properly triage it.