Jackson, Wendy A

Tenure Summary

What happened on their watch

Pulaski State Prison (Warden 2, Jan. 2025 – Apr. 2025; Warden, Apr. 2025 – present)
Jackson’s tenure as the top official at the women’s prison has been marked by nine in‑custody deaths, multiple internal and external investigations, and a swell of allegations about conditions inside the facility.

The first death occurred on March 5, 2025, when Stephanie Sabrina Gary, 55, died of natural causes — cancer, according to the Pulaski County coroner. Two more women, Esmeralda Carillo Hernandez (50) and Candace Lajon Morgan (41), succumbed to natural causes (cancer) in May and June 2025, per coroner findings. On December 12, 2025, Ronika Lashawn Carswell, 50, died; the coroner sent her body to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy, which under local practice indicates a death suspected to be non‑natural. The official cause remains pending. Three more deaths followed in spring and summer 2026: Denedia Nichelle Randall, 28, died on March 30, 2026. A GBI medical examiner later certified the cause as “hanging” and the manner as suicide. Karen Michelle Lindsey (59) died May 24, 2026, and Tulia Eustache (66) on June 3, 2026 — both with causes listed as unknown/pending in GPS records. The seventh and eighth deaths, those of Monika Yvette Bradley and Kristi Perkins, occurred on July 3 and July 12, 2026, respectively. Both remain under investigation by the GDC Office of Professional Standards and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. A family member’s report (submitted to GPS) alleges Perkins had untreated diabetes and fell after struggling to stand; Bradley’s family has relayed accounts of heat exhaustion and dehydration, though the GBI has not released an official cause. The GBI’s investigation into the two July 2026 deaths is ongoing.

Beyond the deaths, GPS received multiple reports beginning in February 2026 describing a “pattern of retaliation, intimidation, unsafe conditions, and non‑functional grievance process” under Jackson’s leadership. Additional intelligence records note an April 2025 report of gang extortion targeting a prisoner’s daughter, and the Atlanta Journal‑Constitution detailed a stabbing incident in which prison staff allegedly failed to notice the assault until an outside caller reported it. A 2026 AJC report also highlighted a sexual‑misconduct case involving a supervisor at Pulaski, which the publication suggested could signal broader systemic problems. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation of Georgia prisons (2022‑2023) previously documented constitutional violations at Pulaski, including failures to protect incarcerated people from violence, though those findings predate Jackson’s arrival.

Litigation

Sources

• GPS intelligence database — personnel record for Jackson, Wendy A; death records and facility‑affiliated intel reports.
• Atlanta Journal‑Constitution — reports on stabbing incident, sexual‑misconduct case, and medical neglect allegations at Pulaski State Prison.
• Pulaski County Coroner Fred J. Clark III — handwritten death investigation reports for 2025 deaths (Gary, Hernandez, Morgan, Carswell).
• GBI Medical Examiner’s Office — autopsy report for Denedia Randall (ME‑26‑40234).
• Georgia Prisoners’ Speak — case‑submission records and internal reports alleging retaliation and unsafe conditions at Pulaski under Jackson.
• U.S. Department of Justice — findings of constitutional violations at Pulaski State Prison (2022‑2023 investigation).

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Aug 2, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.