MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Officers accuse a man and woman of forging documents to steal a dead woman’s home in Southwest Memphis.

“It’s bad,” said one neighbor who asked not to be identified. “It’s really bad.”

People in the neighborhood told FOX13 the home on Delta Road had been vacant for some time.

According to police, the woman who lived inside passed away. Her daughter reportedly contacted police last year to report someone had stolen her mother’s home, valued at almost $64,000.

According to officers, the suspects filed documents claiming “Mark William Slay” was the rightful heir. However, the late owner’s daughter told police no one has that name in her family.

Police said Shterrya Cooksey filed a quitclaim deed to transfer the property from Mark William Slay to her name.

According to police documents, Cooksey told investigators her boyfriend, Paul Dowdy, “wanted the property.”

The notary reportedly told police she knows Dowdy personally.

Investigators said the notary admitted to notarizing the documents, including the quitclaim deed, without Mark William Slay present.

What is a quitclaim deed?

A quitclaim deed is a simple document that allows for the transfer of property from one person to another.

To file a quitclaim deed, all a person needs is a signature, $12, and a notary’s stamp.

“We are not the ones to say whether it’s fraud or not,” Register Willie Brooks said. “We’re just recording the document.”

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Over the past year, quitclaim fraud has increased by 33% in Shelby County.

“One is too many,” Brooks said.

He would not speak to this specific case, but he is advocating for more protections.

There is no way to stop or prevent quitclaim fraud, but Brook has launched an alert system so homeowners know that their property has changed hands.

Click here to sign up for the fraud alert program.

To deter fraud, Brooks also is pushing for requiring that people present photo identification.

That may require a change in state law.

“When you go to the bank and make a deposit, you have to show a photo ID,” he explained. “With the quitclaim form, photo ID is not a requirement.”