Foreclosure, divorce, zombie property and bears, oh my!!!

I live in New York and a property near me has been vacant for many years, at least 6. I found the husband of the previous owners who has no contact with the EX wife and he said the bank ordered them to vacate and not return. The bank basically stonewalled me, but eventually told me they have no interest in the property at this point. The property has a large tax bill due as the bank and prior owners haven’t paid since 2014.

I want to buy this house before a tax auction, potentially thru a quitclaim. How?

I want to confirm the bank has no interest, do I ask the prior owner to call the bank and give authorization to speak with me about it or is there another way as he probably won’t? The discharge of mortgage is recorded with the county.

The spouse is nowhere to be found, how do I work around this?

What are the steps I need to take to buy this eyesore for our neighborhood?


If there is a thread that explains some or this whole situation, I appreciate the heads up!