Whipple, Tamishia V

Tenure Summary

GPS records attribute 27 deaths to Washington State Prison during Whipple’s deputy-warden tenure. No deaths are attributed to her earlier postings, including Hancock State Prison. No lawsuits against Whipple appear in GPS records.

What happened on their watch

Early postings (2015–2023). Whipple’s recorded positions from corrections officer through unit manager carry no facility-level deaths in GPS records.

Washington State Prison — deputy warden (2024–present). GPS attributes 27 deaths to Washington State Prison during this posting, beginning with Jimmy Lee Reed on April 2, 2024, and running through Isreal Moses Jones on June 14, 2026. The records include homicides, natural deaths, drug-related deaths, suicides, and undetermined causes.

The largest single incident was the January 11, 2026 riot. GPS records list Ahmod Dewayne Hatcher, 23; Teddy Dewayne Jackson, 27; and Jimmy Lee Trammell, 42, as killed in that disturbance. Silas Westbrook, 42, died later after transfer; Washington County death certificates list homicide manners for Jackson and Westbrook, with causes of a stab wound of the torso and delayed complications of multiple sharp force injuries, respectively. Hatcher and Trammell’s classifications rest on prisoner reports, per GPS. The GDC described the disturbance as gang-affiliated, and 13WMAZ, WFXL, and the AJC reported that 12 inmates were charged with felony murder and related offenses. News reports also alleged broader conditions contributed to the riot: 13WMAZ reported former inmates saying overcrowding, understaffing, broken locks, and little supervision created an environment ripe for violence; the AJC reported maintenance issues enabled weapons-making and cell escapes.

Another notable death was Jacob Cole Henson, 31, on April 23, 2024. A Washington County death certificate lists the manner as homicide and cause as multiple gunshot wounds, with the injury field reading “GUNSHOT WOUNDS WHILE FIGHTING WITH PRISON GUARDS.” A GBI autopsy documented five gunshot wounds and toxicology positive for methamphetamine; GBI case notes state guards opened fire at a hospital after a fight outside a CT scan room. The AJC’s intelligence summary alleges a GDC officer fatally shot Henson during a hospital transport fight.

Drug-related deaths also appear in the records. GBI autopsies found acute oxycodone toxicity in Dajhmere Ladeavon Hall, 30, and methamphetamine toxicity in Benjamin Horne, 51, both classified as accidents. Johntavis Jermaine Kellom, 36, died of methamphetamine intoxication. WGXA reported a May 2026 federal indictment charging Luis Alfonso Ramirez with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, alleging he directed a drug-trafficking network from Washington State Prison using contraband cellphones.

Natural-cause deaths include Torrey Wayne Forrester, 41, whose GBI autopsy found complications of hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis C; Yoncey Jallah, 49, acute pulmonary thromboembolism; Wayne Krier, 77, complications of advanced prostate carcinoma; and Taylor Allen Howard, 66, complications of lung cancer. Some records remain undetermined: Jimmy Lee Reed, Darrin Gresham, Frank Smith, and Courtney Davis are listed as unknown/pending. Three anonymous user-reported deaths dated February 17, 2026, are flagged in GPS records as investigation-only leads and were not on the official February GDC mortality list.

On June 13–14, 2026, Courtney Davis, 43, and Isreal Moses Jones, 68, died; GDC said the causes were undetermined with no signs of altercation or foul play, and the GDC Office of Professional Standards opened investigations, calling that standard procedure. GPS later added a confidential-source account classifying Jones as a homicide, but GDC has not released a cause. GPS records also cite a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice report, as covered by the AJC and 41NBC, describing violence, sexual assaults, gang-run prisons, and deliberate indifference in Georgia lockups.

Sources

• GPS personnel and death-registry records
• Washington County Coroner death certificates for Jacob Cole Henson, Teddy Dewayne Jackson, Silas Westbrook, and Michael Lareco Daniel
• GBI Division of Forensic Sciences autopsy and examination reports for Hall, Horne, Kellom, Forrester, Jallah, Krier, Henson, and others
• Georgia Department of Corrections January 2025 mortality data and June 2026 monthly mortality report
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution — prison homicide investigation, DOJ report coverage, Washington State Prison riot, staffing and maintenance allegations
• 13WMAZ — GDC gang-affiliation statements, former-inmate allegations, 12-inmate charging reports
• 41NBC — Washington State Prison disturbance, Jones and Davis deaths, DOJ findings
• WGXA — Ramirez contraband-phone drug-ring indictment, Washington State Prison disturbance coverage
• WFXL — 12 inmates charged in gang-affiliated disturbance
• 11Alive — GDC gang-affiliation statement

Synthesized by GPS Intelligence System on Aug 30, 2026 from positions, attributed deaths, lawsuits, intel reports, and news mentions in the public corpus. The supporting data tables follow below.