TEXAS, USA — The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reported two employee deaths that they say may be connected to the coronavirus.
Correctional Officer Maria Mendez of the Wynne Unit was hospitalized after feeling shortness of breath after work on April 12. On April 15, she was transferred to Methodist Hospital in Houston where she was placed on a ventilator in Intensive Care after testing positive for coronavirus. She was 59-years-old and had served the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for nearly 11 years.
Jesse Bolton, 62, is the second employee to have passed away. He was a Correctional Officer at the Eastham Unit with 12 years of service.
On May 6, 2020 he began feeling ill and was taken to Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Bolton was tested for COVID-19 and that test returned negative. He was transferred to Conroe Regional Hospital where he was placed on life support. Bolton died Friday evening. A second test for coronavirus returned positive.
“Even in these unprecedented times, there are moments that are especially jarring,” said Bryan Collier TDCJ Executive Director. “Losing any employee is difficult but learning of two deaths in a single day is unthinkable. The thoughts and prayers of the entire agency are with all the family and friends of both Officers Mendez and Bolton.”
In total, TDCJ has reported seven employee deaths that have a preliminary cause of coronavirus.
Read TDCJ's full statement here:
