Man Puts Old Grandmother in Nursing Home, Soon Learns She Inherited a $2.1M Mansion — Story of the Day

A man deceives his grandmother and tricks her into an old age home so he can sell her house. But he is in for a surprise and a terrible disappointment.

Valerie Dumont was 87 years old, and she never expected to bury her only son. When Larry passed away at the age of 65, Valerie was devastated. With Larry gone, the only family she had left in the world was her grandson, Steve.

So when six months after Larry’s death Steve started talking about Valerie selling her house and moving to Memphis to be close to him and his children, she agreed. Steve told Valerie that she’d be moving into his guest house, but that wasn’t what happened.

Steve put Valerie’s house up for sale, and to make things easier, she signed over power of attorney to him. He could make decisions, sign for her, then deposit the money in her bank account — at least that’s what Steve told his grandmother.

But what actually happened was very different. Steve deposited the money from the sale of the house into his own bank account, and when Valerie flew to Memphis, Steve didn’t drive her to his home and the pretty little guest house at the bottom of the garden.

Instead, he drove her to the retirement home into which he’d had her admitted using the power of attorney she’d granted him. Valerie was stunned. She sat in the lobby and watched Steve walk away, get into his car and vanish down the drive.

For the next three weeks, Valerie just cried. By then, she realized there was no money in her account and that she’d been duped by the only family she had left in the world. “Oh Larry,” Valerie whispered to her dead son, “This would have broken your heart!”

The other residents of the old age home were too busy working through their own memories, regrets, and sorrows to pay much attention to Valerie. So she was miserable and lonely too.

She called her best friend in Denver, Betty, but her carer told Valerie that she was very ill and had been taken to the hospital. Valerie was saddened. She and Betty had grown up together, and now it looked like she was losing Betty too.

Valerie’s only ray of sunshine was Martin, a hairdresser’s apprentice whose grandmother lived in the home. He’d come by on Saturday mornings and set the residents’ hair and he was especially fond of Valerie.

“Miss. Valerie,” he’d say, “you’re just so pretty! If you were 50 years younger I’d marry you!” And Valerie...