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Byrd, Yolanda
Status: active
Profile written June 7, 2026
This profile reflects positional accountability — this individual held the leadership roles shown during the dates shown, during which the listed deaths or lawsuits occurred. Inclusion does not constitute a legal finding of personal culpability for any specific incident.
Tenure Summary
Yolanda Byrd’s career with the Georgia Department of Corrections began in 2015 as a correctional officer and advanced through supervisory ranks—lieutenant and unit manager—before her appointment as Deputy Warden at Rogers State Prison in 2019, a position she has held continuously into 2025. During Byrd’s tenure as deputy warden, GPS records attribute 14 deaths to Rogers State Prison, accounting for every death listed on her leadership watch. Two federal lawsuits name Byrd as a defendant: one concluded without a recorded monetary outcome, and one remains pending.What happened on their watch
Byrd has served as Deputy Warden of Rogers State Prison since January 1, 2019. All 14 deaths attributed to her leadership record occurred during this ongoing posting, spanning from March 2021 through February 2026. The majority—11 of the 14 deaths—carry a cause category that GPS records classify without further public detail, though individual coroner and investigative records provide specifics for several cases. In 2021, three men died at the facility: Chad Walker Jeter, 43, in March; Michael Glenn McKee, 59, in May; and Jeremy Lasean Walton, 31, in June. Three deaths followed in 2022: Timothy Brent Jenkins, 22, in April; Caleb Sexton, 21, later that month; and in 2023, Bradley Lyle Weitzel, 40, died in March, with William Joseph Smiley, 41, in August, and Randall Henry Baker, 38, in December.The year 2024 saw two more deaths: Shawn Remar Johnson, 34, in July, and Taylor Anthony Hunt, 29, in September. GPS intelligence records contain multiple allegations surrounding Hunt’s death, stating that while the official cause was ruled suicide, evidence—including ligature marks, broken bones, bruises, and puncture or stab wounds—has been cited by outside parties as suggestive of homicide. A separate intel report flags an allegation of a guard stabbing incident at Rogers State Prison. In 2025, coroner records document three additional deaths. David Woods died in February from coronary and hypertensive heart disease complicated by influenza; Justin Waymon Hollingsworth, 43, died by suicide via hanging in a segregation cell in June, with a GBI autopsy confirming the manner; Randy Eugene Stewart, 60, died in July from E. coli peritonitis triggered by a perforated duodenum, his death pronounced at a Savannah hospital. The most recent death listed, John Meeks, 49, occurred in February 2026. An intel event from May 2025 also details a complaint that an incarcerated person, Jason Palmer, was held in segregation at Telfair State Prison—listed under the Rogers SP facility identifier—and allegedly denied adequate food, phone access, and emergency contact registration.
Litigation
- Quintanilla v. Bryson, No. 6:17-cv-00004, filed January 9, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Byrd was named as a defendant; the case was terminated on March 24, 2020, with no recorded monetary outcome.
- Hamilton v. Beasley, No. 6:25-cv-00057, filed July 22, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia. Byrd is a defendant in the still-pending matter.
Sources
- GPS personnel and death-attribution records — total of 14 deaths at Rogers State Prison during Byrd’s deputy warden tenure
- Coroner records for Tattnall County (Stewart, Hollingsworth, Woods) — cause and manner determinations and death narratives
- GBI Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy records (Hollingsworth) — ligature furrow documentation and suicide finding
- GPS intelligence reports — allegations concerning Taylor Hunt’s death and a guard stabbing incident at Rogers State Prison
- PACER / CourtListener dockets — Quintanilla v. Bryson and Hamilton v. Beasley federal lawsuits
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| DEPUTY WARDEN | ROGERS STATE PRISON | 2019-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | 2017-01-01 → 2018-12-31 | |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL LIEUTENANT | 2016-01-01 → 2016-12-31 | |
| CORRECTIONS OFFICER (SP) | 2015-01-01 → 2015-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:25-cv-00057 | GASD | 2025-07-22 | pending |
| 6:17-cv-00004 | GASD | 2017-01-09 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
14 people died at facilities under Byrd, Yolanda's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | JOHN MEEKS | 49 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-07-17 | RANDY EUGENE STEWART | 60 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-06-26 | JUSTIN WAYMON HOLLINGSWORTH | 43 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2025-02-04 | David Woods | — | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-09-27 | TAYLOR ANTHONY HUNT | 29 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2024-07-23 | SHAWN REMAR JOHNSON | 34 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-12-06 | RANDALL HENRY BAKER | 38 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-08-15 | WILLIAM JOSEPH SMILEY | 41 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2023-03-21 | BRADLEY LYLE WEITZEL | 40 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-04-24 | CALEB SEXTON | 21 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2022-04-07 | TIMOTHY BRENT JENKINS | 22 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-06-12 | JEREMY LASEAN WALTON | 31 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-05-22 | MICHAEL GLENN MCKEE | 59 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
| 2021-03-17 | CHAD WALKER JETER | 43 | ROGERS STATE PRISON | DEPUTY WARDEN |
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