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I am assuming that you are in Oregon and that Oregon law applies. Your brother may be absolutely correct and to the extent that he retained any of your parents funds, he may have earned it many times over; but, he should be able to show you his records and an accounting for the money and property. He should not have thrown them away and there are legal requirements that must be followed to keep funds from a parent's estate. There are several ways to approach this; however, most likely the most efficient would be to start a probate for your mother's estate. If you are appointed the personal representative, you will have the authority to obtain the bank records and compel your brother to explain what he did. It will take money to fund the probate estate and a fair amount of time and energy. You probably should evaluate your basis for thinking that there is money left and quantify it to decide if it is worth it to pursue.

If you were his closest heir you would be in a position to not only inherit but to be executor. I would consult with a local estate attorney. He could write this person and if necessary help you open an estate. Once the estate is open these items would be, based on what you say, be estate property and she could be prosecuted for keeping them.