An 80 year-old widow began a passionate affair with a homeless, reformed drug addict handyman 23 years her junior who began asking her for large sums of money.

Carolyn Holland’s husband, Joe, died in 2015 at the age of 74, leaving the mother of two lonely and lost in what should have been a long and happy retirement.

Living in the in the picturesque Southern Californian beachside town of Cayucos, she struck up a companionship with 57-year-old Dave Foute, a church-going man with whom she had initially hired to complete odd jobs around her $1.7 million home, with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean.

Dave was known to the local community of 2,500 as someone who was homeless.

He could often be found sleeping rough, living on the streets close to the town’s pretty pier. 

Daughters, Sally, left, Carolyn and Susan, right, are seen celebrating Carolyn’s 80th in 2022

Within two weeks of them meeting, Dave moved into the $1.7million home with ocean views

Carolyn’s family began wondering if he was a caregiver or a con man who was out to fleece her and break her heart before taking her money and property portfolio. The pair are pictured at home

He was a skilled joiner, but things went further than Dave simply coming around with a plank of wood and a screwdriver – and the pair soon become a besotted couple, with Carolyn expressing shock at beginning a passionate sexual affair in her ninth decade.

Within two weeks of them meeting, Dave had moved in. 

Alarm bells were immediately set ringing for Carolyn’s daughters Sally and Susan who believed Dave had ulterior motives and was simply after their mother’s hard-earned cash – and ultimately their inheritance.

Although Carolyn had not been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, like any octogenarian her cognitive abilities were on the wane and she admitted to being forgetful. 

It was something her middle-aged daughters, who lived five hours drive away raising families of their own, were all too aware. 

Chief amongst their concerns was their mother’s finances and that Dave might simply exploit her for whatever money he could, while also causing her emotional distress at a vulnerable stage of life. 

Carolyn, left, is seen on a cruise holiday in 2014 with her late husband, Joe, who died in 2015 at the age of 74

Dave was found to have been a former crystal meth addict, someone who had been drug dealing and even spent a decade in jail

Carolyn’s daughters believed she had entered some kind of a fantasy world when in actual fact she was a vulnerable elderly woman in need of companionship.Dave and Carolyn are seen here

But Carolyn was insistent: she had deep feelings for Dave and deserved to be in a romantic relationship once again. After all, she enjoyed a special connection with her new found love. 

‘He’s given me something special, because of his caring spirit. We share a lot. I love his personality, and I hate it when he’s gone,’ she told the BBC.  

Other relatives of Carolyn’s including her niece, Kim, were particularly uneasy about the age difference, and wondered if Dave was simply using her as a place to stay – her multi-million dollar home being a dramatic change from sleeping rough by the beach. 

‘The age difference really bothered me – that was a red light. Why would someone that age act like he’s in love with her, except to have a place to stay?’, Kim said.

Their fears were well founded, for Dave appeared to have had a troubled and dangerous past.

Carolyn insisted that she was far from losing her marbles and defended her ability to make decisions over her finances

Concerns lingered as Dave could often be found drinking alcohol and smoking pot

Dave insisted that he would be there to take care of Carolyn ‘until the wheel fall off’. The pair are seen walking down their street in Cayucos

Upon further investigation, Dave was found to have been a former crystal meth addict, someone who had been drug dealing and even spent a decade in jailed for making pipe bombs that he was planning to use to blow up a local Walmart. 

Dave was also revealed to have had history of domestic violence and child neglect, further raising concerns about his suitability as a partner for Carolyn. 

Dave protested that such anti-social behavior was in the past and that he had been redeemed and undergone a religious transformation while being rehabilitated from his vices.

‘I’m going to take care of her as best I can unless I can’t. All the guys know that Carolyn’s my girl and I don’t mess about. I don’t stay out late because I have someone to go home to. I’m going to remain until the wheels fall off,’ he said. 

‘Look what Jesus blessed me with. I couldn’t leave her, because I’m supposed to be here with her.’ 

Yet concerns lingered as he could often be found drinking alcohol and smoking pot.

It was Carolyn’s daughters who felt most alarmed as they began to notice a drastic change in their mother’s behavior after meeting Dave.

They believed she had entered some kind of a fantasy world when in actual fact she was a vulnerable elderly woman in need of companionship. 

Dave told people that he had long been rehabilitated when it came to drugs and alcohol

Dave protested that such anti-social behavior was in the past and that he had been redeemed and undergone a religious transformation while being rehabilitated from his vices

Dave and Carolyn spent a lot of time together giving her a new found sense of adventure

‘It’s like a fantasy world, it’s so bizarre,’ Sally said. ‘She was like a teenager when he came along. She was doing all this weird giggling and laughing.’

The potential concerns that Dave’s arrival might cause Carolyn to make sudden adjustments to her will, that included a substantial property portfolio which had been built up over generations, only heightened their anxiety.

Dave had also been spotted in town boasting to his friends that he would one day soon never have to work again.  

‘It’s our family’s money, my parents worked hard for that money. Should we be okay, just giving it to some loser?’, Sally asked. 

The daughters began to look at possible legal solutions in order to secure power of attorney and declare their mother mentally unfit, claiming she might be losing cognitive abilities. 

But Carolyn was far from losing her marbles, she told them and defended her ability to make decisions accusing her daughters of giving her insufficient support after her husband’s death.

‘They never came to see me before Dave, honestly they did not,’ Carolyn explained.

The family argument led to financial rift, with Carolyn co-signing a credit agreement for a $40,000 van for Dave, despite the objections of her daughters’. 

Carolyn asserted her right to choose her partner, emphasizing the positive impact Dave had on her life.

‘They think they’re protecting me from David, but David is the best thing that happened to me,’ Carolyn said.

Eventually, Carolyn agreed to sell one of her properties prompting accusations from her daughters that Dave was exploiting her mental fragility. 

Carolyn always asserted her right to choose her partner, emphasizing the positive impact Dave had made on her life

When Carolyn agreed to sell one of her properties, it prompted accusations from her daughters that Dave was exploiting her mental fragility to gain access to her money

Carolyn had promised to give Dave a portion of the $600,000 proceeds from the sale, to help give him a stable future

‘When she called I came, I miss Carolyn, I loved Carolyn. I was on my little mission trying to make her proud,’ Dave said, following her death

Carolyn had even promised to give Dave a portion of the $600,000 proceeds from the sale, to help give him a stable future. 

The property sale went through and a check was waiting for Carolyn to collect but it was at that moment she began to deteriorate physically and mentally. 

COVID-19 only exacerbated her health problems and she decided not to get vaccinated after Dave advised against doing so, convinced the entire vaccination program was a process of government control.

Finally, her daughters managed to gain power of attorney before Carolyn died.

‘The Covid was not what killed her but it definitely didn’t help because she was already declining,’ daughter Susan said. 

Once she had passed away, the daughters did not tell Dave that their mother had died, nor did they allow him to visit during her final days. 

One year on, the daughters can’t shake the feeling that their mother was indeed taken advantage of and don’t believe local doctors, police, or care services were able to adequately address their concerns. 

Once she had passed away, the daughters did not tell Dave that their mother had died, nor did they allow him to visit during her final days

As for Dave, he is once again alone and homeless, hanging out by Cayuco’s pier – although now has the use of his $40,000 van all paid for and given with love, by Carolyn

Dave never got his million dollar home and is now living in a van by the pier

‘Everybody’s hands were tied. They were not seeing what we were seeing,’ Susan explained.

Her death leaves a lingering sense of frustration and sadness among the family.

As for Dave, he is once again homeless and hanging out by Cayuco’s pier – although now has the use of his $40,000 van all paid for and given with love, by Carolyn.

‘When she called I came, I miss Carolyn, I loved Carolyn. I was on my little mission trying to make her proud,’ he said.

More can be heard of Carolyn and Dave’s story in a 10-part BBC podcast: Million Dollar Lover.