'Someone took it' homeowner fumes after property is sold without her knowledge – for sale sign was first she knew | V23228N | 2024-04-23 19:08:01
A WOMAN whose property was sold from underneath her found a driver's license was vital evidence in a months-long ownership battle.
Vera Mitchell from Dallas, Texas, purchased her home in 1972 with her husband Dennis.
The family has since kept hold of a vacant lot as part of the property, knowing that it is a good investment.
However, in 2022, Mitchell's daughter Dalphine Parrish noticed a for-sale sign on the lot and immediately knew something was wrong.
"To us, it's prized property," she told WFAA knowing that her 92-year-old mother would not have taken such action.
The family discovered that a deed had been filed with the Dallas County clerk showing that Mitchell had sold the home in October 2022.
"When I saw the signature, I knew it wasn't mine," Mitchell told the news outlet.
"Everything was done electronically….Even with the title company, (the) filing of the deed, the change from my mom's name to the other person's name," Parrish explained.
A driving license became a key piece of evidence proving that Mitchell had not signed the deed.
The senior citizen no longer drives and does not hold a driver's license anymore.
However, a police investigation into the incident revealed that someone had stolen Mitchell's identity using a title company and a false driver's license with her name on it.
According to Dallas Police Detective Gregory White, the unknown individual thought to be outside of Texas stole Mitchell's identity to steal the property.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Armed with this knowledge, Parrish went to the civil court to return the property to her mother's name.
"We're going to get it, just get our property back as easy as it was taken," Parrish believed.
FUTURE PLANS
However, it was not that easy and soon it was revealed that the new owners had plans for the plot when the Dallas Board of Adjustment erected signs on the property.
Parrish was left thinking "This is really happening…somebody really stole this property and now somebody's doing that without our permission," she told the outlet.
"I cried many nights. I couldn't sleep at night," Mitchell recalled.
"I was just miserable that someone had taken my property."
The new owners were hoping to build a 1,600-square-foot home on the land, according to city records seen by WFAA.
The family was then forced to appeal the plans at a hearing in February in which the board would discuss the proposed construction by the new owners.
During this hearing, the supposed owners failed to show and Parrish and her brother Larry successfully had the Board reject the planning request.
"This has been fraudulently obtained and so we are still in litigation," Parrish told the board when speaking on her mother's behalf.
She asked for a continuance or postponement of the plans while the litigation was ongoing.
While the Board noted that it does not deal with determining ownership, without the presence of the owners at the hearing, their application was rejected though they could reapply.
</div> </div> As the ownership battle continued, Parrish hired an attorney after she was informed she could not represent her mother in court.
In September 2023, the new owner of the lot who purchased it from the person pretending to be Mitchell handed ownership back to Mitchell by signing a new deed.
"I didn't know if I could live to see it," Mitchell said.
"But I thank God I did live to see it and I'm overjoyed."
After 11 months the property was returned to its rightful owner with Parrish's brother Larry saying, "This is the day the Lord has made."
However, Parrish is advocating for changes in the system to help protect property owners.
"Everybody's not going to have the time or the energy or the tenacity to do it or the money because they will just quit," she said.
After the transfer of ownership, Parrish and her brother removed the signs erected by the Board of Adjustment and noted that the family now have their own plans for the lot.
More >> https://ift.tt/Ndn9eQO Source: MAG NEWS
