$17,000 Abruptly Disappears From Deceased Woman’s Bank Account – And the Trail Leads to an Insider: Report

A former banker has admitted to draining a huge sum of money from a deceased person’s bank account and the account of a woman suffering from dementia.

Texas resident and former Regions Bank employee James Dale Turner has pleaded guilty to two counts of exploitation of the elderly after stealing thousands of dollars from customer accounts, reports the ABC-affiliated KLTV.

In August 2025, authorities arrested Turner amid allegations that he drained $3,812 from the account of an elderly woman with dementia.

Turner was subsequently released after posting bail. He was arrested a second time in February 2026 for a similar fraud case involving a dead woman’s bank account.

Authorities say that between October 2024 and May 2025, Turner withdrew a total of $17,003 from the deceased woman’s bank account by issuing cashier’s checks with amounts ranging from $500 to $2,000 per transaction.

Regions Bank employees say they saw a suspicious transaction in the account when the woman’s executor requested account statements in October 2025. A manager said the bank placed a “no post” on the account after Turner issued a cashier’s check.

Authorities say Turner admitted to issuing cashier’s checks and depositing them into his personal account at another bank, but said he did not know the woman had passed away.

Says Regions Bank in a statement,

“Regions Bank deeply values the trust people place in us. What happened in this case involving a former associate does not reflect the values our team in Tyler works to uphold every day. Throughout this matter, we have remained committed to supporting the investigation, and we appreciate the work of law enforcement since the initial concerns were raised.”

Generated Image: Midjourney