Daughter faces exploitation of the elderly charge

PHIL CAMPBELL — A daughter of an 85-year-old woman is facing an aggravated exploitation of an elderly person charge after at least $100,000 was missing from her mother’s bank account.

Representatives with the Franklin County Department of Human Resources contacted the sheriff’s office after it was notified about the possible exploitation of an elderly person, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Palmer.

“During the investigation, approximately $100,000 was missing from the victim’s bank account,” Palmer said. “There was no way to account for the missing money, but there were transactions where money was transferred to bank accounts belonging to the suspect without reason or explanation.”

The money was discovered missing when another family member received guardianship of the victim’s bank account, Palmer said.

“The family tried to handle the situation themselves, but was unable to,” he said. “That’s where our investigation began.”

The case was presented to a Franklin County grand jury, which returned an indictment charging Tammy Lynn Burfield, 61, with aggravated exploitation of an elderly person.

Burfield was booked into the Franklin County Jail on July 23.

She was released from jail the next day when she complained of a medical problem. A judge signed off on her release to seek medical treatment, according to a jail spokesperson.

Burfield’s arraignment has not yet been set.