68-year-old Alabama inmate dies, also tests positive for COVID-19

Posted: Jun 29, 2020 / 05:55 PM CDT / Updated: Jun 29, 2020 / 05:55 PM CDT

FILE – In this April 16, 2020, file photo, a medical worker places a swab in a vial while testing the homeless for COVID-19 through the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, during the new coronavirus pandemic, in Miami. An Associated Press analysis finds that most states are not meeting the minimum levels of testing suggested by the federal government and recommended by public health researchers even as many of them begin to reopen their shattered economies. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — A 68-year-old woman serving a 55-year sentence in Montgomery County died from chronic illnesses Monday. She also tested positive for COVID-19.

Wanda Gaye Dison was facing a sentence for rape and sodomy at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Ala.

On June 21, Dison was transferred to a local hospital from Tutwiler’s infirmary due to her advanced, chronic medical conditions and rapidly declining health. Upon admission to the hospital, Dison was tested for COVID-19 and subsequently returned a positive test result. She remained under the care of the hospital until her death.

Dison’s exact cause of death is pending the results of a final autopsy. The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) extends its sympathies to the Dison family and her loved ones during this difficult time.

In addition, ADOC reports two inmates at Tutwiler have tested positive for COVID-19. One of the inmates was asymptomatic and was tested as a precautionary measure prior to a necessary facility-to-facility transfer. The other inmate was on level-two quarantine awaiting the results of a test for COVID-19 after presenting with signs and symptoms of the disease.

Upon notification of their positive test results, both inmates were moved to medical isolation.

Sixty-five total cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed among our inmate population, 41 of which remain active.