BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Palm Bay nurse was booked at the Brevard County jail Tuesday, accused of manipulating her terminally ill patient into signing over her car and selling her home at a fraction of its value, police said.
Analisa Duncan, 53, became the subject of an investigation in early May when the Department of Children and Families made contact with the Palm Bay Police Department concerning an elderly exploitation case, according to an affidavit for Duncan’s arrest warrant.
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The 71-year-old woman in Duncan’s care was described in the affidavit as “incapacitated” due to multiple diagnosed physical and mental health issues, including cancer of the bladder, spine and brain. The woman told investigators she was diagnosed with terminal illness at the time she moved into Serenity Lifestyle Plus II — an assisted living facility in Palm Bay and Duncan’s residence — at least one year before police said she was taken advantage of.
A doctor who evaluated the woman determined she lacked the mental capacity to make informed decisions, such as those regarding her residence or to manage or make a gift of her property.
The woman told investigators Duncan wanted to make a deal in which they would sell each other their houses, explaining “she (Duncan) would come out ahead because it’s cheaper, somehow, to sell her my home,” as the caretaker claimed she wanted to “downsize.”
Duncan convinced the woman to sell her 2300 sq. ft. home for $175,000 and got her to sign what she called “launch papers” to “get the ball rolling.” Despite the price the woman agreed to, the documents would have officiated the sale of the woman’s home to Duncan for $50,000, the affidavit states. Police said the woman purchased the home in 1988 for $55,000, now valued upwards of $225,000 in today’s market.
Ultimately, the settlement agent did not allow the sale due to Duncan’s lack of funds, police said. When police later presented the woman with these documents, she told investigators she did not recall seeing or signing them.
Though she didn’t end up with the woman’s home, police said Duncan convinced the woman that swapping their cars was a “good” idea.
The woman agreed to let Duncan test drive a Subaru she purchased brand new in 2019, which investigators found led to Duncan enlisting the help of a friend who did contract work at the assisted living facility to submit a duplicate title request for the car to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
The man told investigators there was not a notary present when he brought the documents for Duncan to sign with the woman, including a power of attorney form. When the man was provided duplicate copies of the now completed form at the DMV, he claimed that someone else wrote “by POA” next to his signature, as well as his phone number.
Police said the title was transferred on May 4 to a man living in Belleview, the vehicle was given a new license plate and the victim is no longer registered to her Subaru.
A letter mailed to Duncan by the victim’s attorney demanded the car be returned immediately, but the message was never acknowledged. The car was last seen June 1 within the city limits of Palm Bay, according to the affidavit.
Duncan faces felony charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle and exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult exceeding $50,000.