I retained Elena and requested certified documents directly from the financial institutions, county offices, and trust administrator.
What we discovered was worse than I’d imagined.
Six days before Madison’s supposed down payment, $80,000 left my reserve account.
The money moved into my mother’s consulting company.
Then into Madison’s business.
And finally to the title company handling her house transaction.
Another $42,000 from the trust paid for renovations.
Even the property taxes had been covered with trust funds while Madison proudly told relatives that she and Jake were financing everything themselves.
But those withdrawals weren’t the most serious part.
My parents had also attempted to transfer legal ownership.
They’d signed a deed claiming they still possessed trustee authority.
Attached was a beneficiary consent form bearing my signature.
Except I’d never seen that form.
And I’d certainly never signed it.
The signature resembled mine at first glance.
