The caregiver accused of concealing the death of a Baltimore woman’s father and seizing control of his finances has been taken into custody on fraud charges.
Sarah Smalls was arrested in South Carolina on various charges stemming from the alleged abuse of her patient. She appeared in court Tuesday morning. The patient was the father of Nora Rowland, a Baltimore woman who had previously spoken with CBS News Baltimore about the situation.
Smalls faces allegations of breach of trust with false intent, perjury, and exploitation of a vulnerable adult, according to online court documents. She faces a total of $45,000 in bail fees. Rowland informed CBS News Baltimore that additional charges are pending.
Smalls posted a bond on Tuesday and was freed.
Rowland stated that her father retired to South Carolina in 2013 and began receiving home care services in 2021 after suffering a serious brain injury. Her father was likewise diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In 2024, Rowland’s father hired a caregiver from Griswold Home Care. She said the caretaker, named Smalls, mistreated her father and compelled him to sign over the deed to his $300,000 property. Three months later, her father had died, his house had been signed over, and his money had vanished.
Smalls is accused of withdrawing more than $17,000 in cash and sending money to herself via Cash App on many occasions, according to court documents acquired by WJZ.
Rowland stated at the time that she intended to relocate her father to Baltimore to be with her and that he was just using the caretaker service temporarily while she completed plans. She described her father as an “independent” golfer who only required assistance with minor duties. I keep racking my head, wondering how I could have averted this. And I have no idea how I would have known,” Rowland told CBS News Baltimore.
Rowland stated that she and her father chatted frequently, and when she did not hear from him on her birthday or Father’s Day, she drove to South Carolina to check on him.
When she landed in South Carolina, she was told that her father had died three days before and that his home was no longer in his name. “It was such a surreal moment,” Rowland explained.
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