Medford woman charged in alleged $10,000 jewelry theft from family she helped

A Medford home health aide is accused of turning routine access to an East Setauket home into a nearly $10,000 jewelry theft, Suffolk County police said. Jackquilin Smith, 40, was identified as the suspect in a case involving an 80-year-old woman and her 58-year-old daughter, who has a degenerative neurological disorder. Police said the alleged thefts stretched from late April through late May 2026, making the loss look less like a one-time grab and more like a breach that unfolded over weeks.

Police said Smith worked as an at-home health aide for Homewatch CareGivers, based in Hicksville, while helping the two East Setauket residents. The jewelry was valued at approximately $9,850. Suffolk County police arrested Smith on June 19, 2026, and said the case was being handled by detectives in the Sixth Squad.

The details carry weight well beyond one household. Families across Suffolk County often bring in outside caregivers to help older adults and relatives with serious health conditions, and those arrangements depend on trust built inside the home. In this case, that trust sat at the center of the allegations because the people affected were a vulnerable 80-year-old woman and her adult daughter, whose neurological disorder made daily support especially important.

Detectives asked anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Smith to contact the Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652. For East Setauket families and others who rely on in-home care, the arrest is a blunt reminder that regular access can also create opportunity, and that missing valuables may not be discovered until the loss has already grown.