Home Deed Dispute
South Carolina Daughter Fights Caregiver Over Father Home Deed Transfer
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A South Carolina daughter says her father's caregiver secretly took ownership of his home weeks before he died. Nora Rowland discovered her 75-year-old father Robert had passed away three days earlier, the locks were changed, and a Ring doorbell camera was installed — all without her knowledge. According to WMBF News, Sarah Smalls, a nurse assigned through Griswold Home Care, had the deed transferred to herself for just $5 in April 2024, months before Robert's death in June. The transfer occurred after Smalls was named his power of attorney.
When Nora arrived in Conway from Maryland, Smalls called police and had her arrested for trespassing on her own father's property. WECT reported the charges were later dismissed. Now Nora is fighting to void the deed, claiming her father lacked the mental capacity to sign it. Neighbors told police Robert had Parkinson's disease and a brain injury, and was "not within his wits at all" during this time.
How the Deed Changed Hands So Quickly
In March 2024, Sarah Smalls began caring for Robert Rowland through a home care agency. By April, documents show she was listed as his power of attorney. On April 17, a quitclaim deed transferred his Conway home to Smalls for $5. The deed was filed with Horry County and recorded as a legal transfer. WITN notes Robert was living in a senior care facility by this point.
The registrar of deeds does not check if a property owner has mental capacity or if the price is fair. Marion Foxworth III, Horry County's registrar, explained: "If it contains all the correct information to meet the legal standard, then we record it. We don't check whether what's in that deed is fair or right." This means the deed was recorded without any review of Robert's ability to make the decision.
A Daughter Locked Out of Her Father's House
On Father's Day weekend in June 2024, Nora drove from Baltimore to visit her father. She arrived to find the front door lock had been changed and a Ring camera installed. New family photos hung inside. When she looked in the window, Smalls appeared on the Ring camera. That's when Nora learned her father had died three days earlier — and no one had told her.
Nora opened an unlocked window to get inside. Smalls immediately called police, claiming Nora was breaking in. Officers arrived and arrested both Nora and her partner for trespassing. The police treated the deed Smalls held as proof she owned the home. WAVE 3 reports the trespassing charges were later dismissed, but the deed dispute remains unresolved.
Concerns About Robert's Mental State Before His Death
Neighbors reported to adult protective services that Robert was severely impaired before he died. Police body camera footage captured neighbors saying Robert "was not within his wits at all." Robert suffered from Parkinson's disease and a brain injury. Nora argues her father could not have understood or approved the deed transfer given his condition.
Nora is now fighting in court to void the quitclaim deed based on lack of capacity and undue influence. She says the $5 price proves it was not a fair transaction. The case highlights a gap in South Carolina law: recording offices accept deeds without verifying that the person signing actually had the mental ability to do so.
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