iPad activation lock deceased user
Millie (age 11) brought me (in remote Ecuador location) an iPad which she was gifted by Mrs. P. F. As far as I can ascertain, the iPad was registered under Mr. P. F.'s iCloud account. Mr. P. F. passed away a few years ago. Mrs. P. F. has moved out of the area, we have no contact information, and when she was asked some time ago by Millie's mother, Mrs. P. F. had no iCloud login information to offer.
My task is to turn this iPad from a useless block of apple stuff into a functioning iPad, which Millie can use. Is would be a real positive influence in her education if she could use it.
My question for the hive mind is: How will it be possible? I have contacted Apple Support several times, they have started more than one support case number, they have referred me to their Legacy program, I do not really feel comfortable requesting the deletion of Mr. P. F.'s iCloud account. I am hoping that there is some way Apple people can remotely "separate" the device from said account. I have seen several paid services which offer to unblock the device, but I don't know if they can provide the service they are offering, furthermore, I am reluctant to spend money on this task.
In this remote corner of the world, there are no Apple stores, I have sent Apple a personal affidavit certifying that the device is not lost or stolen. I can't seem to get further up the Apple Support apparatus to see if they can help. So far, they just send me emails stating that they cannot resolve the issue. So...if you know of a way to resolve this issue, both myself and Millie will appreciate your help.