Help Jan Rebuild After Squatter's Abuse

A squatter in the basement abused my elderly parent and no one knew she was there.

Help My Elderly Disabled Parent Rebuild After Abuse

Hi, my name is Gale, and I’m fundraising for my mother, Jan, who is an elderly (77), disabled individual living on a fixed Social Security income. In 2024, she has suffered unimaginable abuse — physically, emotionally, and financially — at the hands of someone she didn’t know. A career criminal, a complete stranger to her, took advantage of my mother's trust, stole her money and belongings, and destroyed her childhood home. Now she is in desperate need of safety, stability, and healing. Please help and share this story even if you can’t donate. I feel strongly that this could happen to anyone, especially vulnerable people.

Jan is a kind, humble soul who has always tried to live with independence and dignity despite serious lifelong challenges. She has always been mobile, independent, and enjoyed working a few hours a week helping other seniors like her to supplement her income for essentials.

My mom has never had much, but what she did have, she would share with others, even when she didn’t have it to give. She is very giving, naïve, and humble. She gives her last penny to strangers and animal causes. Sadly, this has made her very vulnerable, and that vulnerability was exploited. Not only was my mom mistreated and isolated in her own home, but her limited financial resources were also taken advantage of — leaving her with little to nothing to cover basic needs like utilities, food, medical care, and essential home repairs.

How it happened: On Sept 23, 2024, approximately 9 pm, I got a desperate crying phone call from my mother stating she had a bug problem and could I help her. I asked if she was okay, she replied yes. I asked why she was crying (she never cries) and she said she had not slept in days (not completely unusual for her, she is incontinent 24/7 and up all night). I asked if it could wait until the morning and I would call a bug guy to come over. She said okay, and first thing the next morning I called an exterminator to go to her home and inspect the problem.

While the exterminator was there, she called me and told me she had a bedbug problem and it would cost $1800 to fix, but he wouldn’t guarantee his work. Shocked, I asked to speak with the person. When he got on the phone, he said, "Ms. Gale, she has bedbugs, but I can’t treat anything until the basement is empty." Shocking news to me because the basement was nearly completely empty of any contents except a few small boxes, a bed frame, and a snow shovel. I said, "What are you talking about?" He then said the entire basement (floor to ceiling) was covered in boxes, clothing, food, and trash. There was one small walking path. You name it, it was down there. Someone was living there.

I then asked to speak with my mother who told me that she only knows that she was a friend of my brother's and was only going to stay 3 nights because she had nowhere to go. My mom didn’t know her last name and couldn’t tell me how long she had been there. She said several weeks, but wasn’t sure. She wouldn’t go when my mother asked her to leave. My mom has some memory issues, so this is not uncommon for her to be unable to remember every detail/day's events.

Stephanie approached my mother some weeks or maybe a month before saying, "Hi Jan, I just spoke with Mark, and he said I should stop by and check on you. I am in the neighborhood and wondered if you needed anything." My mom said a Pepsi would be great. Thank you. (Mark is my career criminal brother and is also incarcerated) and my mom is naïve and thinks everyone is a harmless friend.

She befriended my mother over the course of a couple of days, asked to stay a 3 days, then wouldn't leave.

She threatened my mom to keep her living in the basement a secret. She threatened to harm her and her pets if she crossed her. She locked my incontinent mother in her room for hours at a time with no access to the bathroom. She demanded my mothers debit card to purchase groceries, toiletries and her dogs vet care. She threw away my mother’s only bed because she said my mother had bedbugs, when in reality, this person brought them to my mother’s home. Stephanie is a career squatter, criminal, and drug addict.

I took immediate steps to get my mother and her two dogs out of her home. When I arrived, Stephanie was not there. My mom was disheveled, confused, disoriented, and frightened. She didn’t want to leave her home for fear that Stephanie would do something to it. I packed her medications, and left with her 2 small dogs and the clothes on her back.

Days later, I calmly confronted Stephanie outside the walkout basement door, where she stated, "This is my house, I live here with my dog and I am not leaving without a court order." I wasn’t sure who I was dealing with, and for my safety and the safety of my mother’s home, I did not enter the basement space or speak negatively to her. All I knew is she was unstable, and this wasn't her first time doing this to others.

We’ve reported the abuse to the police who initially said she had “squatters' rights,” reported elder abuse to Health and Human Services, and closed my mother’s bank account.

It took days to discover exactly how/what happened at the hands of Stephanie. My mom didn’t look or act anything like herself and could barely answer any questions with clarity. We tried multiple times to sit through police investigation interviews, but she was confused and couldn't answer much initially. She was in shock and it took weeks to uncover all the abuse that had taken place.

Stephanie not only took personal items from the home, but she flushed large napkins down the toilet to ruin the plumbing, removed the thermostat from the wall, screwed all the windows shut, and essentially emptied my mother’s home of any comforts (bed, clothes, money, food, toiletries).

In addition to robbing my mother of what little savings and peace of mind she had, she left 2460 lbs of trash behind, bed bugs, and graffiti all over the walls. (I won't share any of the wall graffiti pics because they would be considered inappropriate - all hate, cursing and racists remarks)

Roughly 10 days after removing my mother from her childhood home, we were able to uncover all the abuse and granted a restraining order or elder abuse. Stephanie and her large dog were removed on 10/2/2024 by force. There were shots fired inside the home because the large dog attacked a police officer. Fortunately, both the officer and large dog survived. Sadly, my mom’s 14 y/o Sammie lost his life several weeks after leaving the only home he has known.

Riddled with shame, embarrassment, and pure anger, I refused to ask for help, thinking I (and family) could also do all the things by ourselves. We cannot. This experience has left serious trauma for myself and my mother. What I witnessed sent both of us into a complete tailspin for months. We are both still trying to recover from the trauma with the help of medication, counseling, and family/friends.

THIS NIGHTMARE is like a DATELINE mystery.

I asked myself thousands of times how someone can live in a basement and I or other adults not know. Simple. My mother’s home looks exactly as it should every time we were there. YES, Stephanie was hiding/living in the basement while myself and others visited my mother. YES, NO ONE KNEW. We had NO idea. Stephanie and her dog did not make a peep while sitting in my mom’s tiny 900 sq foot home. YES, my mother did not tell a soul because Stephanie threatened and intimidated her. She was afraid for her life and she didn’t say a word.

I need help restoring what my mom had before Stephanie — physically, emotionally, and financially. Your support will go directly toward:

• Safe housing and accessibility improvements

• Ongoing medical and mental health care

• Legal assistance and advocacy

• Daily living essentials (groceries, utilities, mobility aids)

• Transportation to appointments and services

• Help with vet care/medication (her Buddie is very sick, also elderly and its her baby)

Any amount — no matter how small — will make a meaningful difference. If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this campaign to help us reach those who might be able to help.

Please consider sharing this experience with others so they too can be aware of elder abuse. Yes, this is all real, yes, I have all the receipts, screenshots, pictures, recorded conversations, phone/bank/police/court records. No, Stephanie was not arrested. I am aware they were looking for her and that’s all the updates I have been given.

My mom has endured more than anyone should, and it’s time she experiences peace and safety. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading all this and for caring.

With gratitude,

Gale