Three women charged with stealing over $90K from 88-year-old woman with dementia, records show

FOX13 Memphis News Staff 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Three women were arrested last week for stealing more than $90,000 from an elderly woman with dementia who they were trusted to take care of, records show.

Sally Baggott, 71, Jennifer McLemore, 49, and Melissa Stewart, 48, all are facing multiple charges, including theft, identity theft and financial exploitation of the elder, court documents show.

According to court documents, Stewart and McLemore are caregivers for an 88-year-old woman with dementia who lives at an assisted living home. Baggott is the woman's "attorney in fact," records show.

Court records allege the three women wrote themselves checks from the victim's account to buy a car and used her debit card to make purchases from Amazon, Temu and more.

Records state the investigation started after an employee at Memphis City Employee Credit Union reported to police on September 3, 2024 that "she was concerned" that the victim's bank account was missing $52,000.

Records allege that the victim lost a total of $91,454.24.

McLemore's bond was set at $200,000, while Stewart's and Baggott's were set at $75,000 and $50,000, respectively, according to court records.

Protect your aging loved ones

A spokesman for the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South recommends family members keep a close eye on their aging loved ones' accounts.

"It happens all the time," said Daniel Irwin, a spokesman for the BBB of the Mid-South. "It's just so sad."

When possible, family members should have a few trusted people with eyes on the account.

The BBB recommends inspecting financial accounts weekly, if not daily. 

"If you're not checking on them, something like this can happen," he explained. 

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Three women charged with stealing over $90K from 88-year-old woman with dementia, records show