The person who built and held everything is gone.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE
Hosting account credentials Domain registrar access The site's source code Documentation Third-party service accounts registered to their email
FIRST STEPS
Establish what you actually control. Check whether the domain is registered in your name, and whether the hosting account is.
Check your own email for credentials sent at any point.
IF THE HOSTING IS IN YOUR NAME
Reset the password through the Client Area and take a full backup immediately.
IF IT IS IN THEIR NAME
Open a ticket explaining the situation. We will tell you what evidence of entitlement is needed. This takes time and it is resolvable.
IF THE DOMAIN IS IN THEIR NAME
The harder problem. Registrant records determine ownership, and changing them requires the current registrant or a formal process.
IMMEDIATE PRIORITY
Take a backup of whatever you can reach, now, before anything else changes.
PREVENTING THIS
Domains registered in the business's name, always Hosting accounts in the business's name Your own copy of backups Documentation of what exists
