LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dorothy Tarpin, 89, bought her Parkland neighborhood home over 50 years ago. In June, someone fraudulently obtained it through a quitclaim deed—a legal process usually used among family or friends.
“I called my niece and told her I dreamed it,” Tarpin said. “And she said, ‘oh yes, somebody did steal your house Aunt Dorothy.’”
Her great-niece, Ashley Mack, filmed a confrontation with two men moving furniture out of the home. “Do y’all know you’re stealing this house from an old lady?” Ashley asked. The men claimed the homeowner was dead. “Ashley told him, ‘Aunt Dorothy ain’t dead!’” Tarpin recalled.
The Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed the suspected fraud is under investigation. Shattered furniture remains in the backyard, along with a “For Sale” and “No Trespassing” sign—reportedly placed by the trespassers. Once the Property Value Administrator discovered the deed error, the trespassers’ names were removed.
Family members expressed outrage over the incident. “Everything was beautiful. For someone to do that to her is really disgusting,” said niece Alpha Johnson. Tina Mack added, “The hardest part is it’s easy for him to take her home with fraudulent documents, but we have to file a civil suit to get it back.”
Fraudulent deed takeovers are rare, said Jefferson County Clerk spokeswoman Ashley Tinius. “Maybe once every three years we see a case of it. There is no way for us to spot a fake notary on there, or to catch something like this, so we created that Clerk Alert.” Residents can sign up on the Clerk’s website for notifications on quitclaim deeds.
Tina Mack said the next steps involve arresting the suspect and investigating if others are involved. The Clerk’s office plans to implement an AI tool within the next two years to review deeds for potential fraud.
The family expects to spend thousands of dollars in legal fees to reclaim Tarpin’s home.
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