‘Someone took my property,’ homeowner fumes after house is sold without her knowledge – for sale sign was the first she knew about

A WOMAN whose property was sold beneath her discovered a driving license was vital evidence in a months-long property battle.

Vera Mitchell of Dallas, Texas, purchased her home in 1972 with her husband Dennis.

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Since then, the family has kept 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.

“For us, it’s a valuable property,” she said WFAA knowing that his 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 outlet.

“Everything was done electronically… Even with the ownership of the company, (the) filing of the deed, the changing of my mother’s name to the other person’s name,” Parrish explained.

The driver’s license became important evidence to prove that Mitchell had not signed the deed.

I cried many nights. I couldn’t sleep at night.

Vera MitchellVictim of deed fraud

The elderly man no longer drives and no longer has a driver’s license.

However, a police investigation into the incident revealed that someone had stolen Mitchell’s identity using a company title and a fake driver’s license with her name on it.

According to Dallas Police Detective Gregory White, the unknown individual thought to be out of Texas stole Mitchell’s identity in order to steal property.

Armed with this knowledge, Parrish went to civil court to return the property to her mother’s name.

“We’ll just get our property back as easily as it was taken,” Parrish believed.

FUTURE PLANS

However, it wasn’t that easy and it was soon revealed that the new owners had plans for the land when the Dallas Board of Adjustment erected signs on the property.

Parrish was left thinking, “This is really happening…someone really stole this property and now someone is doing it without our permission,” she told the outlet.

“I cried many nights. I couldn’t sleep at night,” Mitchell recalled.

“I was just unhappy that someone had taken my property.”

The new owners hoped 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, at which the council was to discuss the new owners’ proposed development.

During this hearing, the alleged owners did not attend and Parrish and his brother Larry caused the Council to reject the planning application.

“This was obtained fraudulently and so we are still in litigation,” Parrish told the board when speaking on behalf of her mother.

She asked for plans to be continued or postponed while the litigation was ongoing.

Although the Council noted that it does not deal with determining ownership, without the owners present at the hearing, their application was rejected, although they could reapply.

As the estate battle continued, Parrish hired a lawyer after being told she could not represent her mother in court.

In September 2023, the new owner of the lot who purchased it from the person posing as Mitchell returned the property to Mitchell by signing a new deed.

“I didn’t know if I could live to see it,” Mitchell said.

“But I thank God that I lived to see this and I am very happy.”

After 11 months, the property was returned to its rightful owner, with Parrish’s brother Larry saying, “This is the day that the Lord has made.”

However, Parrish advocates for changes to the system to help protect homeowners.

“Not everyone will have the time, energy or tenacity to do this or the money, because they will just give up,” she said.

After the ownership transfer, Parrish and his brother removed the signs erected by the Board of Adjustment and noted that the family now has its own plans for the lot.

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