Home Care Nurse Accused of Taking Conway, SC Man's House for $5 Before His Death

A South Carolina nurse allegedly had a 75-year-old patient's home signed over to her for $5 weeks before he died. Conway police are now investigating.

Daughter Learns Father Died — and Lost His House — at the Doorbell

A home care nurse in Conway, South Carolina allegedly secured the deed to her 75-year-old patient's house for just $5 — weeks before he died — and then informed his daughter of his death through a Ring doorbell camera, according to Law & Crime.

Nora Rowland, who lives in Maryland, arrived at her father Robert Rowland's Conway home on Father's Day with her partner after growing concerned about the lack of contact. The nurse, identified as Sarah Smalls, responded through the doorbell camera.

"She tells me, 'This isn't the way that I wanted to tell you, but your dad died, and there's a bunch of other stuff I have to tell you too. Just wait there,'" Nora Rowland recalled.

Robert Rowland had died three days earlier, according to his daughter.

Power of Attorney, Bank Transfers, and a $5 Deed

Robert Rowland was battling Parkinson's disease and a brain injury before his death in June. Nora Rowland alleges that Smalls used that vulnerability to her financial advantage in the months prior.

Local court records confirm that Robert's power of attorney was transferred to Smalls in April. Court records also confirm the $5 property transfer. Bank statements reviewed by NBC affiliate WMBF additionally show transfers from Robert Rowland's personal account to Smalls before his death.

Smalls was hired through Griswold Home Care in March 2024. Nora Rowland said she began hearing from her father far less frequently after Smalls came on board — a notable change for a man she described as close.

"My dad was always a daddy's girl type thing, so it was always him and me throughout my whole life," she told WMBF. "We FaceTimed every week."

Handcuffed at Her Father's Door

When Smalls eventually let Nora and her partner inside the house, she then called police — claiming the two had broken in and were trespassing. Officers arrived and placed them both in handcuffs.

"I just kept saying, 'I don't know what's going on; this is my dad's house. My dad is dead,'" Rowland said.

Trespassing charges were filed against Nora Rowland and later dropped. Conway police have since confirmed they are investigating Smalls and the allegations raised by Nora.

Inside the house, Nora found evidence of changes made in the days after her father's death. Walls had been repainted, and photographs of unfamiliar people had been hung up.

"I went in, and everything was different," she said.

Neighbor Had Already Raised the Alarm

A neighbor told WMBF they had separately grown concerned about Robert Rowland's welfare before his death.

"[Smalls] was allegedly coming here during the day and taking care of him, and one day she started moving furniture out, and he disappeared," the neighbor said. "Bob, he was not within his wits at all. You could've talked him into just about anything. I even called senior services and asked them to look into it."

Registrar: Office Checks Paperwork, Not Fairness

Horry County's registrar of deeds, Marion Foxworth III, told WMBF that his office has no authority to scrutinize the intent behind a deed — only whether the document meets South Carolina's minimum legal requirements.

"If it contains all the correct information to meet the legal standard, then we record it," Foxworth said. "We don't check whether what's in that deed is fair or right."

A representative for Griswold Home Care told WMBF the agency had no prior knowledge of the situation. Smalls directed the station to contact her attorney.

No arrests have been made. Nora Rowland said the case illustrates a broader risk for elderly patients receiving in-home care.

"It's so easy for them to get taken advantage of," she said. "He was a nice man; he would never think that someone could do this to him. I really can't emphasize enough how many other people could easily get taken advantage of like this."

Source: Law & Crime