(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, a conservator of the estate of a person who is missing and whose whereabouts is unknown shall be appointed as provided in Article 3 (commencing with Section 1820) of this chapter or Article 3 (commencing with Section 2001) of Chapter 8.
(b) This article does not apply where the proposed conservatee is an absentee as defined in Section 1403.