Joseph Lee Fultz

On February 7, 2021, Joseph Lee Fultz of Des Moines, Iowa passed away at Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana. Joseph, 52, was in a relationship with Stacy Dorsey at the time of his death. He talked to her every day over the phone before his transfer to Terre Haute on January 7. 

After Joseph arrived at Terre Haute, Stacy never heard his voice again. Stacy told HuffPost that Joseph had been worried about contracting COVID-19 at Terre Haute. He tested positive for the virus just four days after his arrival. He was listed as having “recovered” 14 days later, even though he was still suffering from the lingering consequences of the virus. Joseph had a serious heart condition and epilepsy, which put him at high risk for contracting COVID-19 and for suffering lasting effects from the virus. Low and behold, these lasting effects from the virus were responsible for his untimely death a couple of weeks later.

Terre Haute had seen a spike in cases in late December 2020, with more than 400 residents testing positive for the virus, up from fewer than a dozen in early November. Although the number of positive cases had decreased to 108 by the time Joseph arrived at the facility, his pre-existing conditions still made him vulnerable. On top of his unstable health, Joseph was also put at risk by the executions being performed at the prison. Two incarcerated individuals at Terre Haute had sued the federal government to stop the executions because they saw the events as spreaders of the virus that put all of the residents at risk of death. According to the individuals’ lawyers, each federal execution drew a crowd of about 200 people from across the country who would enter or stay near the facility. 

As is sadly the case with the deaths of many incarcerated people, Joseph’s loved ones were given little to no information about the conditions of his death. Immediately after Joseph arrived at Terre Haute, he wrote a letter to his girlfriend Stacy explaining that he was in a three-week lockdown as a precautionary measure because he had arrived from another facility. Joseph told Stacy that he would contact her as soon as possible, but after three weeks she still had not heard from him. She wrote many letters asking about his health but did not receive any letters in return. On February 8, Stacy received a call from a chaplain at Terre Haute informing her of her Joseph’s passing. She was not told that his death was COVID-19-related until HuffPost contacted her for its article. 

“I don’t like the fact that they were not upfront with me … It was almost like they’re trying to hide something,” Stacy said. “Having not talked to him for four weeks just adds to the devastation of it. I don’t know how they were treating him.”

The treatment of Joseph and many like him will not be forgotten. We mourn his loss. 

This memorial was written by MOL team member Mary John with information from reporting by Melissa Jeltsen of HuffPost, Johnny Magdaleno of Indianapolis Star, and a press release by the Bureau of Prisons.