A caregiver allegedly told a 75-year-old’s daughter ‘your dad died’ through a Ring doorbell, and his house had already been deeded to her for $5

Sarah Smalls, a 58-year-old home caregiver in South Carolina, was booked on Monday on charges of perjury, breach of trust, and exploitation of a vulnerable adult. Police have alleged that Smalls took control of a 75-year-old man’s finances and home while he was seriously ill. The alleged scheme ran from March to July 2024, according to arrest warrants obtained by WMBF.

Robert Rowland had Parkinson’s disease and a brain injury at the time, according to his daughter, Nora Rowland, who lives in Maryland. Nora told WMBF in August that she and her father FaceTimed every week, but she heard less and less from him after Smalls began caring for him through Griswold Home Care. Nora drove to her father’s home in Conway in June 2024 to check on him. She said Smalls spoke to her through a Ring doorbell and told her that Robert had died three days earlier.

“She tells me, ‘This isn’t the way that I wanted to tell you, but your dad died,'” Nora Rowland said. When Nora eventually gained access to the house, she found the interior had been altered. She described the scene in an earlier interview, saying the walls had been painted and the decor changed. “She had put up random photographs of people I’d never seen before,” Nora Rowland said. According to the warrants, Smalls allegedly obtained power of attorney over Robert and withdrew more than $17,000 in cash.

The deed transferred the house for just $5

Smalls also allegedly sent money to her own Cash App account on several occasions, and bank statements reviewed by WMBF showed multiple transfers from Robert’s account to Smalls. A quitclaim deed transferred Robert’s home to Smalls for $5 in April 2024. The warrants state that Smalls had a family member notarize the document, and a probate complaint filed by Nora identifies the notary as Smalls’ sister.

One law office refused to handle the deed transfer. However, Smalls obtained it through a different office, the warrants state. The warrants also allege that Smalls lied on federal documents submitted to the Housing Authority of Conway in order to get money. Police said Smalls claimed she had no assets, real estate, or cash. The filing was made in May 2024, the month after the deed transfer. Nora believes her father was neglected as well, as he was in a severely weakened state when he died.

Nora said her father weighed less than 90 pounds when he died and that his medical records described him as emaciated, and she hopes charges related to physical abuse will be added. However, the current charges against Smalls do not include neglect or abuse. Smalls was granted a $45,000 cash or surety bond after a Tuesday hearing, and she was released that afternoon. She did not respond when a WMBF crew asked her for comment as she left jail.

Nora said she was relieved by the arrest, having asked authorities to investigate Smalls for months, and she continues to challenge the deed transfer in civil court. Griswold has said Smalls was an independent caregiver on its registry who passed a background check and worked with Robert only briefly, and that he was no longer receiving its services when the deed and power of attorney were transferred. Smalls has not been convicted, and her first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 11.