3 arrested on fraud charges related to woman’s death

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Three people have been charged with fraud in relation to a Hampstead woman’s death.

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, the SBI was requested by the Pender County Sheriff’s Office on December 31, 2024, to assist with an investigation into the death of Trina Marlene Williams. Williams died on June 8, 2021.

In collaboration with the SBI, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office obtained arrest warrants on April 1 for three suspects involved in fraudulent activities related to Ms. Williams’s death.

Catherine Mia Talbott was charged with one count of felony conspiracy and one count of felony fraud. Patricia Elaine Chadwick was charged with four counts of notary fraud. Richard McClean Potter was charged with one count of obtaining property under false pretenses, one count of felony conspiracy, and one count of felony fraud.

The investigation into Williams’s death is ongoing.