A Plymouth caregiver is facing a slate of serious charges after state prosecutors say she kept a disabled man locked inside a bedroom fouled by urine and feces, then later collected unemployment benefits. The defendant, 44-year-old Jennifer Small of Plymouth, has been indicted on caretaker neglect, kidnapping and unemployment fraud charges. The case surfaced after Small called police in February 2024 to report the man’s death.
According to a press release from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, a Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments charging Small with three counts of caretaker neglect, one count of kidnapping and one count of unemployment fraud. The investigation began after a referral from the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and the matter is now being handled by the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division. Officials emphasized that the allegations are charges and that Small is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
What Officers Found Inside The Bedroom
The scene officers described inside the home was grim. Responding to the 2024 death report, police found the man’s bedroom cluttered with debris, with feces smeared on the walls, piles of soiled diapers, food wrappers and a bare mattress without bedding that was soiled with feces and urine, according to MassLive. Officers also noted that the bedroom door could only be locked from the outside, and prosecutors allege Small kept the man confined there against his will.
Timeline And Unemployment Allegations
The Attorney General’s Office says Small was hired in February 2019 to provide full-time in-home care for an older man with intellectual disabilities. Prosecutors allege that from November 2020 through August 2021, she filed for unemployment benefits and fraudulently obtained roughly $38,000 in payments during that period. The AG’s office credited assistance from the Plymouth Police Department, the Massachusetts Disabled Persons Protection Commission and the Department of Developmental Services in developing the case. Additional case details are available from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
What Happens Next
The indictments will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division, and investigators say the matter is entering the local court process, though public statements have not included an arraignment date. Officials have repeated that the charges remain allegations and that Small is presumed innocent. Community members with information about possible abuse or suspected MassHealth fraud are being directed to reporting resources cited by state officials, according to MassLive.
