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Foster, Denisha Gauze
Status: active
Profile written June 21, 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
Denisha Gauze Foster began her career with the Georgia Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer at Wilcox State Prison in 2007. After a gap in the record, she re-entered GDC in 2021 as a Unit Manager at Telfair State Prison, a role she held intermittently through 2024. In early 2025, she was promoted to Deputy Warden of Security at the same facility, a position she holds as of the latest data. GPS records attribute 18 deaths to Telfair State Prison during the period of Foster’s leadership tenure as deputy warden—all recorded between late January 2025 and early June 2026. During her unit-manager years, she was named as a defendant in two federal lawsuits that were later terminated.What happened on their watch
Wilcox State Prison — Correctional Officer (2007)
Foster spent one year as a line officer at Wilcox State Prison. No deaths are attributed to this posting in GPS records, and no contemporaneous allegations tie her directly to misconduct. Later intelligence reports detail violence and gang conflicts at Wilcox—including a 2025 gang fight that sent nine inmates to the hospital—but those events occurred over 15 years after her departure and are unrelated to her tenure.Telfair State Prison — Unit Manager (2021, 2023–2024)
Foster held unit-supervisor roles at Telfair during two separate stretches. While the facility logged multiple homicides and other deaths during those years (e.g., the stabbing deaths of De’ahmoz Floyd in 2023 and Joey Kilgore in 2024), none are attributed to Foster in the death records, as her accountability tier was unit-level, not facility leadership. However, court records show that while she was a unit manager, she was sued in two federal civil rights cases:- Thomas v. White (No. 3:23‑cv‑00100, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia) — filed December 21, 2023, terminated February 23, 2024.
- Hall v. Mcfarlane (No. 3:23‑cv‑00094, same court) — filed November 29, 2023, terminated March 4, 2024.
The docket entries do not disclose the substance of the claims or any settlement amounts. These suits represent the only legal actions found in GPS’s database naming Foster personally.
Telfair State Prison — Deputy Warden of Security (2025–present)
Foster became the facility’s top security official on January 16, 2025. In the subsequent 17 months, GPS records document 18 deaths of people in custody at Telfair. Per Telfair County Coroner records and GDC incident reports, the deaths break down as follows:- Homicides (cause category 3): Five confirmed homicides by stabbing or strangulation. They include Malindzo Hatcher, 42 (stabbed in a common area, July 21, 2025); Lester Smith, 45 (stabbed in a common area, June 2, 2025); Ezra Ford, 21 (found with assault/stabbing injuries in a housing unit, March 25, 2025); Deandre Moody (strangulation after an assault, January 28, 2025); and Preston Phelps, 28 (killed during a gang fight, December 13, 2025). All were witnessed and investigated by GDC’s Office of Professional Standards or the Telfair County Sheriff.
- Unclassified/pending deaths (category 6): Nine deaths whose cause or manner remained pending autopsy, toxicology, or GBI investigation at the time of record compilation. Notable among them: Elvis Garcia‑Nelasco, 38 (found dead in his cell, December 29, 2025); Gary Chad Thomason, 53 (fell from bunk, September 14, 2025); Robert Wayne Messer, 63 (found unresponsive, manner listed as accidental, September 11, 2025); Tavares Atwell, 41 (March 10, 2026); Kenneth Hinton, 41 (January 2, 2026); and David Lane Campbell, 44 (July 22, 2025). A death recorded as “John Doe” on June 6, 2026, also falls in this category.
- Natural death: Eric Haynes, 51, died of a heart attack on January 21, 2026 (category 1).
- Suicide: Robert Baker, 45, died by hanging on October 12, 2025 (category 2), according to the coroner’s determination.
- Drug overdose: Tony Morales Adame, 32, died from a suspected overdose on June 25, 2025 (category 5).
Ages of the deceased ranged from 21 to 63. The deaths occurred across multiple housing units, dorms, and common areas, and many involved violence among incarcerated people—some captured on video, according to coroner summaries.
While Foster held the deputy warden post, intelligence reports painted Telfair as a deeply troubled facility. The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution reported that as of March 2025, 79% of correctional‑officer positions were unfilled, leaving only 32 officers to supervise roughly 1,400 prisoners. The same article noted that a GDC sergeant, Desiree Briley, had been sentenced for helping an inmate smuggle methamphetamine into Telfair for at least two years—a case that stemmed from the broader “Operation Ghost Busted” probe of a white‑supremacist gang’s drug network reaching into South Georgia prisons. The U.S. Department of Justice had already issued a scathing report in 2024 describing Georgia’s prisons as gang‑controlled and riddled with violence and sexual assault; that systemic finding remained relevant during Foster’s tenure. Public‑Facebook posts and GPS incident relays also captured allegations of gang fights, staff‑prisoner assaults, and a canceled visitation that the facility refused to explain.
No lawsuit naming Foster in her deputy‑warden capacity appears in the database. The 18 deaths, however, all occurred on her watch as the official responsible for facility security, and the coroner records repeatedly cite GDC investigations into the circumstances.
Litigation
- Thomas v. White, Case No. 3:23‑cv‑00100 (GASD, filed Dec. 21, 2023; terminated Feb. 23, 2024). Foster listed as a defendant; no further details on the nature of the claim or disposition.
- Hall v. Mcfarlane, Case No. 3:23‑cv‑00094 (GASD, filed Nov. 29, 2023; terminated Mar. 4, 2024). Foster listed as a defendant; no further details.
Sources
- Telfair County Coroner records (2025) — multiple death pronouncements and investigation forms
- Georgia Department of Corrections incident reports — per GPS death-database ingestion
- GPS intelligence‑relay system — Telegram‑sourced incident alerts (stabbings, lockdowns, gang fights)
- Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — staffing shortfall data, DOJ‑report context, contraband smuggling case
- U.S. Department of Justice — 2024 report on gang‑run Georgia prisons
- Solitary Watch — historical allegations of officer rampage and heat shut‑off at Telfair
- CourtListener — docket entries for Thomas v. White and Hall v. Mcfarlane
- GPS research compilations — news sources for Phelps, Hatcher, Floyd homicides, and other facility events
Positions Held
| Title | Facility | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Warden of Security | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2025-01-16 → present |
| DEPUTY WARDEN | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2025-01-01 → present |
| CSM CORRECTIONAL UNIT MANAGER | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2023-01-01 → 2024-12-31 |
| Unit Manager | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31 |
| Correctional Officer | WILCOX STATE PRISON | 2007-01-01 → 2007-12-31 |
Lawsuits as defendant
| Case # | Court | Filed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:23-cv-00100 | GASD | 2023-12-21 | terminated |
| 3:23-cv-00094 | GASD | 2023-11-29 | terminated |
Deaths attributed during tenure
18 people died at facilities under Foster, Denisha Gauze's leadership.
| Date | Decedent | Age | Facility | Role at time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-06 | Timothy Wilson | — | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2026-03-10 | TAVARES ZAVOYD ATWELL | 41 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2026-01-21 | ERIC BERNARD HAYNES | 51 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2026-01-02 | KENNETH GEORGE HINTON | 41 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-12-29 | ELVIS NOE GARCIA-NELASCO | 38 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-12-13 | PRESTON C PHELPS | 28 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-10-12 | ROBERT BAKER | 45 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-09-14 | GARY CHAD THOMASON | 53 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-09-11 | ROBERT WAYNE MESSER | 63 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-09-10 | HENRY L GADSON | 60 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-07-22 | DAVID LANE CAMPBELL | 44 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-07-21 | MALINDZO EDDY HATCHER | 42 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-07-17 | THADDEUS JOVELL PERRY | 50 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-06-25 | TONY MORALES ADAME | 32 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-06-02 | LESTER JAMES SMITH | 45 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-04-12 | WILLIAM CLINTON WORLEY | 49 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-03-25 | EZRA DANGELO FORD | 21 | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
| 2025-01-28 | Deandre Moody | — | TELFAIR STATE PRISON | Deputy Warden of Security |
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