A home care nurse in South Carolina is facing criminal charges after investigators accused her of stealing the deed to a 75-year-old client’s house and transferring the property to herself for a mere $5 before he died.
Sarah Smalls, 58, was arrested and booked Monday on charges including perjury, breach of trust and exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
“I couldn’t believe it … I was so happy, I was so excited, I was relieved,” said Nora Rowland, daughter of victim Robert Rowland, in an interview with local NBC affiliate WMBF. “This is something I had been working on so hard for so long; to finally have that recognition was so important.”
Arrest warrants obtained by WMBF allege Smalls carried out a scheme to exploit Robert Rowland between March and July 2024. He died that June.
“I went in, and everything was different,” Nora Rowland told WMBF in August 2026, describing her father’s house in Conway, which she says was redecorated by Smalls just days after his death.
“She had put up random photographs of people I’d never seen before,” Nora Rowland said. “The walls were painted.”
Robert Rowland had reportedly been living with Parkinson’s disease and a brain injury before he died. His daughter believes Smalls moved money out of his personal account and into her own before his death, on top of getting the house signed over for $5. She also suspects Smalls neglected him.
“He passed away weighing less than 90 pounds. The medical records describe him as emaciated,” Nora Rowland said. “I hope the charges against her for the physical abuse and violence, they get added.”
According to the arrest warrants, Smalls secured power of attorney over Robert Rowland and took control of his finances. She allegedly withdrew more than $17,000 in cash and repeatedly sent funds to her personal Cash App account.
The warrants state that Smalls obtained the deed to Robert Rowland’s home on April 17, 2024, and had her sister notarize it.
One law office reportedly refused to process the deed transfer for Smalls, but she managed to get it done through another, according to WMBF. Under South Carolina law, transferring a deed requires the property owner’s signature, two witnesses and a notarized acknowledgment.
Warrants also allege Smalls lied on federal paperwork in order to obtain money from the Housing Authority of Conway, falsely claiming she had no assets, real estate or cash.
Bank records reviewed by WMBF show money moving from Robert Rowland’s accounts to Smalls before he died. Local court records reportedly back up the $5 property transfer as well as the shift of power of attorney to Smalls.
“It’s so easy for them to get taken advantage of,” Nora Rowland 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.”
Nora Rowland, who lives in Maryland, told WMBF that Smalls was hired through Griswold Home Care in March 2024. Soon after, she noticed her father was calling far less often than usual.
“We FaceTimed every week,” Nora Rowland said.
Growing increasingly concerned, Nora traveled with her partner to visit her father on Father’s Day 2024. That’s reportedly when Smalls told her through a Ring doorbell that Robert Rowland had died — three days earlier, according to Nora.
“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.
Griswold Home Care issued a statement to WMBF addressing the allegations. A representative said the well-being of those served through the Griswold network is central to the organization’s mission and that safety and dignity are non-negotiable. The company noted that, per its records, the caregiver in question was a Certified Nurse Aide in South Carolina who passed all required background checks prior to being referred, and that she remains listed on the South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry with no substantiated findings of abuse, neglect or misappropriation of property. The statement added that the caregiver has not been referred to any client through Griswold Care Pairing for Myrtle Beach since 2024, and that after reviewing the allegations, the office reported the matter to the appropriate state agencies. Citing client privacy, the company said it could not share further details but affirmed it is cooperating, and will continue to cooperate, with any law enforcement or regulatory investigation.
Smalls was ordered held on a $45,000 cash or surety bond and was released Monday.
