A Baton Rouge woman has been arrested by detectives with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office and booked with multiple felony charges for stealing from an elderly LaPlace couple she was hired to help take care of as an in-home healthcare worker.
Demyra Willis, 34, of Baton Rouge, was arrested Tuesday, April 7, 2026 and booked with 12 counts of exploitation of the infirmed (felony); 12 counts of forgery (felony); 12 counts of bank fraud (felony) and 12 counts of identity theft (felony).
Investigators say that Willis was hired by the victim’s son to help his 82-year-old father care for his ailing wife in April 2024. In May 2024 the victim’s son was notified by the bank about possible fraudulent activity on his father’s checking account.
Between April 15th, 2024-May 6, 2024 Willis forged and cashed checks that she made payable to herself and withdrew cash from the victim’s account without his knowledge or consent. Bank records indicate that Willis stole $3,250 during that time span.
Willis is being held in the St. John Parish jail in LaPlace under an $80,169 bond.
Elder fraud is a growing problem across the nation. As the senior population increases, crimes targeting the elderly are on the rise as well, Sheriff Mike Tregre said.
Sheriff Tregre urges families who hire workers to help care for their elderly relatives to keep these tips in mind:
• If an older person has limited mobility and can’t get to their mailbox on a daily basis, get a P.O. Box accessible by a family member. This will prevent someone from getting their hands on pre-approved credit card forms, loan checks or other important paperwork without the patient knowing.
• Remove all heirloom jewelry from the home. Costume jewelry for daily use is fine.
• Leave cash for buying lunch or some groceries as needed. In some cases, a small cash account with limited funds can be used with a debit card. Monitor the account online frequently.
• Leave written instructions for the caregiver on do’s and don’ts in the home. For example, no entrance into certain rooms and no visitors of the paid caregiver allowed in the home.
• Request references! Ask for the names of previous clients, particularly ones who live in the parish and/or city where the patient will be treated.