After Days of Silence, She Finds Her Father Dead and the House Deeded to His Nurse Who Held Power of Attorney

Nora Rowland, who described herself as a “daddy’s girl,” said she frequently communicated with her 75-year-old father, Robert Rowland. But when she didn’t hear from him on Father’s Day, she traveled from Maryland to his home in Conway, South Carolina, only to learn that he had passed away and his nurse had been made power of attorney shortly before his death.

According to Rowland, nurse Sarah Smalls had been hired to care for her ailing father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and a traumatic brain injury, through Griswold Home Care in March 2024, per WMBF. Rowland and her father stayed in frequent contact, but when Smalls was hired, she claimed communication had become increasingly difficult.

“My dad was always a daddy’s girl type thing, so it was always me and him throughout my whole life. We FaceTimed every week,” Rowland said. So when she didn’t receive any word from him on Father’s Day, Rowland traveled to his home to do a wellness check in June 2024. However, when she arrived, she noticed the door had been changed, and a Ring doorbell camera had been installed.

Rowland discovered her father had died when she visited

Rowland discovered that Smalls had been living in the property, and that her father had passed away just three days before, yet Rowland was not informed. “I go in there, and I see everything is different. She had put up all these random photographs of people I’d never seen before. The walls are painted this god-awful highlighter orange,” Rowland said.

Not long after, Smalls allegedly accused Rowland of trespassing and called the police. When officers arrived, Smalls showed them the deed to the house under the nurse’s name.

“I’m walking out of the house expecting them to come and help, and they put me and my partner in handcuffs immediately,” Rowland said. “I just kept saying, ‘I don’t know what’s going on. This is my dad’s house. My dad is dead.’”

Reportedly, Robert’s neighbor had noticed something was seemingly amiss in his home. The neighbor alleged that Smalls came to take care of Robert during the day, but then started moving out furniture when Robert “disappeared.”

“She was only in here a very short time, and Bob, he was not within his wits at all,” the neighbor said. “You could’ve talked him into just about anything. I even called senior services and asked them to look into it.”

The nurse took ownership of the house for just $5

According to Rowland, documents showed that her father had made changes in the months leading up to his death without her knowledge. Her father had been transferred to a senior living facility at the end of March 2024, despite hiring Smalls that same month.

In April, Smalls was named as his power of attorney, and by April 17, Robert’s $300,000 home was transferred under Smalls’ name with a quitclaim deed for $5. Bank statements also showed transfers were made from Robert’s account to Smalls, even after his passing, amounting to over $41,000, including cash.

The criminal charges against Rowland for trespassing were reportedly dropped, but now Rowland is fighting to contest the deed that names Smalls as the property owner. She feared her father might not have been aware of what he signed away, as Robert was categorized as a vulnerable adult, according to Rowland.

A representative from Griswold Home Care said Smalls was an independent caregiver and had passed a background check before working with Robert for a “very brief period” in 2024. However, they claimed the nurse was no longer with their company when the property transfer and change of power of attorney were made.

Now, the case remains in limbo. Two years after the discovery, Rowland continues to pay for the house’s property taxes, while Smalls still lives in the home. Conway police are also looking into the matter, with investigators only beginning to look into the case recently.

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